Soldier
by TVDKay
Summary: Elena wakes up in transition at the hospital, takes place in the middle of/after 3x22, not remembering anything of her past life. Slight differences from the show, Alaric is still alive, and Damon had been in Mystic Falls rather than Stefan. Listen to the song "Soldier" by Gavin DeGraw to understand the title of the story.
1. Chapter 1:The awakening

He leaned closer towards her stiff body, his head bowed in prayer. He had long forgotten the last time he had acknowledged a higher power, but he found himself murmuring words to a God. He wasn't sure if he even believed, he just knew that she had to be saved. He held her limp hand in his, now mumbling "No Lena, no don't do this to me, This can't be happening, No c'mon Lena." Suddenly her eyes flashed open, and he chanted "Thank you, thank you, thank you" to no one in particular.

She sat up slowly, blinking repeatedly. She glanced around the room she was in, it seemed to be a hospital, but she couldn't be sure. Then she noticed him. "Who are you?" she shouted, suddenly finding herself in the corner of the bed, away from the man.

His heart sunk. He knew this had been a possibility, but didn't think it could actually happen. As he reached for her shoulder she flinched. He lowered his hand and said in a soothing voice "Lena, its me, Damon. Do you know where you are hun?"  
She slowly shook her head, then managed to whisper, "No. Damon, is it? Where am I? Who am I? Why aren't my parents here? Are they okay?" The alarm in her voice seemed to rise with each question.

Damon took a deep breath. It was worse than he had thought. Had she forgotten everything since her parents death? Would this wear off? "Well your name is Elena Gilbert. You are a beautiful teenager, sister, and," He found his voice breaking, and he was suddenly stammering, "a girlfriend of Stefan Salvatore. My brother." He allowed her a moment to comprehend all this new information.

"Go on." she commanded moments later

"You're in Mystic Falls hospital because you were in a horrible accident. I don't think you're ready to learn much else, not yet." He knew she could handle it, she was strong, but he wasn't. He couldn't bear to see the pain on her face when she found out about her parents. all over again.

After what seemed like an eternity of silence, she finally spoke. "So, where is Stefan? If he's my boyfriend, shouldn't he be here?"

Damon restrained the chuckle he felt in his chest. Elena was already bouncing back, and nothing could make him happier. "Well, its a bit complicated, but he should be here soon. Your brother, Jeremy is coming too. And I'm assuming that Ric is on his way too."

She cocked an eyebrow at the mention of Ric, and Damon immediately explained, "Ric is short for Alaric and he is your history teacher." He felt a tightness in his chest as he realized he had to explain Jenna's death. "Your Aunt Jenna moved back to town," He immediately saw her eyes light up at the mention of the aunt she rarely saw, which made his chest even tighter. "and um, well she started seeing Ric. I hate to be the one to tell you this, but Lena. Jenna died." Her lower lip jutted out, and tears began to stream down her face. He slowly stood up and sat next to Elena. He held her close to him, wrapping his arms around her. He rested his chin on her head, whispering his condolences into her hair. He heard footsteps in the hallway, and Jeremy poked his head through the doorway. Damon motioned that Elena was safe, and that they needed a few more minutes together.

After a while, Elena had calmed down and Damon excused himself, allowing for Jeremy to go in the room. He had warned her brother of her condition, and although he was heartbroken, Jeremy accepted the responsibility of informing his sister of the death of their beloved mother and father.

So there's chapter one (:

Its my first fanfic so sorry if it sucks!

Hope you guys like it, should be updated soon!


	2. Chapter 2: The announcement

Elena had finally fallen asleep after Jeremy broke the news to her. Damon had stood in the threshold of room 207 of Mystic Falls Hospital when he heard familiar footsteps behind him. It was Stefan. Damon let out a heavy sigh before turning to his brother. Stefan immediately ran through the doorway to Elena, but Damon slowly pulled him out and somberly said "We need to talk."

"Damon, Shes my girlfriend! Can you let me have five minutes with her? I've been worried sick the past three hours getting here, can you give me five fucking minutes to just appreciate the site of her sleeping safe and sound in her bed?" Stefan spoke as loudly and aggressively as he could without waking a sleeping Elena.

Damon's heart broke for not only his brother, but for himself. He was now being forced to admit that she wasn't okay, and it was because of the Salvatores. As he thought about this, the mask of anger on Stefan's face had turned to sheer worry. Damon spoke slowly, trying to soothe his brother, "Stef, she's not okay. Come sit down," he motioned towards the chairs outside of her room. He dreaded breaking the news to his brother, because he knew what it could start.

The brothers sat side by side, Damon on the left, and Stefan on the right. This was something they had done since they were children, and Damon suddenly found himself feeling a nostalgia for the simpler times, before he knew about any of the supernatural, or before he had met Katherine. "So, can you just tell me what's going on?" Stefan abruptly spoke, abolishing Damon's reminiscing.

Damon cracked each one of his knuckles, trying to think of how to tell his brother the news. "Well, physically she's okay. But, um, when the car crashed, she died on impact. Nobody could have saved her. Not me, you, or even Donovan," Damon found himself rolling his eyes at the mention of his new enemy, Matt Donovan, "She hit her head hard on the dashboard and um-" Damon's sentence was cut short by Stefan.

"Are you telling me that she had vampire blood in her system?" the younger Salvatore nearly screamed, His head was now in his hands, hot tears streaming down his pale face. This was the one thing he knew she had never wanted. He looked at her peacefully sleeping, trying to remember the moment, because once she awoke, she would not be the same girl he had once loved.

"Stef, I don't know who it was, but look on the bright side, it saved her! If she didn't have that, Lena would be gone. Neither of us could deal with that, I know its gonna be hard but she'll adjust, she's strong! We'll show her the ropes; it'll be the three of us against the world!" Damon spoke with such hope in his voice, and then realized what he had said. Katherine had said the same thing in 1864, before she abandoned the two of them, hating one another in Mystic Falls. It felt as if someone had just slapped him across the face, and he was feeling the sting of his own words. He knew he had been lying, that Elena had to choose between the brothers. The trio wouldn't last forever, she had to make a choice. It was at that moment when he reached another heartbreaking realization. She didn't remember either of them.

"You are un-fucking-believable" Stefan said under his breath as he walked away from his brother and into Elena's room. Had his brother really just quoted Katherine Pierce, the manipulative bitch who had used both of them so long ago? He suddenly felt a firm grip on his left bicep, and whipped around to look Damon in the eye.

"She doesn't remember anything! She doesn't remember me, or you, or Ric, or even the fact that her parents are dead! She doesn't remember anything that has happened in the last year and a half!" Damon allowed a long pause for this to sink in. "So before you go in there and try to be a knight in shining armor, why don't you start thinking of some damn solutions? What are we gonna do? Oh hey babe! Congrats on being alive, now drink this blood or else you'll die? Oh and by the way sweetheart, we're both vampires and so is your best friend! Lets not forget the fact one of the boys you've known all your life is a hybrid!" he sarcastically screamed.

Stefan had to sit back down. A slow smile began to creep onto his face, but he suppressed it, knowing his idea wasn't possible. He had hoped that he and Damon could convince her to leave town, and go somewhere safe and live a new life, free from the supernatural. Of course this was unrealistic, because she was now one of them, if she wanted to be. He slowly stood and looked at his brother. Damon always knew what to do, but at the moment he looked just as confused and frustrated as Stefan was. Simultaneously, they heard noise from Elena's room. It was one of her machines, which had originally been beeping slowly, now rapidly beeping, signaling that her death was near.


	3. Chapter 3:The devastation

The room was now full of doctors and nurses rushing to save the girl's life. The Salvatores were still frozen outside the room, in sheer panic. Suddenly Damon was gone, and Stefan was alone. What could he do? If he fed her and completed the transformation, would she respect him? He looked at her bruised face, and studied it for what seemed like the first time. He could let her die, and live without her, or he could choose for her, and risk resentment. He hoped she would wake soon, so he wouldn't have to choose. Was she still the same girl he had loved? Or would her personality change to one more like her doppelgänger's? As Stefan pondered his relationship with Elena, Damon flashed into the room, and suddenly there was a blood bag to her lips. As she fed, Damon compelled each member of the staff to forget what had just happened.  
"Damon! What the hell! She was supposed to-" Stefan roared across the room, before breaking into tears. He didn't know how he felt. Was he angry at his brother, or was he grateful?

Damon whirled around on his heel, screaming back "What the hell am _I_ doing? What the hell are _you_ doing Stef? Yeah you really love her, fucking left her here to die, stood in the doorway like a child! Grow the fuck up! She may hate me for this, but she'll be alive hating me! Of course she won't hate you Saint Stefan, no no no, who could hate you Golden Boy?!" Damon had a distinct tone of resentment in his voice as he spoke.

Suddenly the two noticed Elena sitting up, blinking rapidly as she did."Damon?" She squealed with joy at the presence of the brothers, although she only recognized one. "You must be Stefan!" she looked at the younger Salvatore. "I gather that your important in my life, so" She extended her arms for hugs then patted either side of the bed, motioning for them to sit next to her. Damon sat on her left while Stefan sat on her right. She wrapped one arm around each of their shoulders, drawing each of them towards her. She then kissed each one on the cheek, then finally relaxed. She got herself comfortable in between the brothers, then the trio sat in silence.

The brothers stared at each other, not knowing what was going on with the girl. Stefan spoke first, gently saying, "Hey Laney, sweetheart, can we talk a little bit?" He hoped using her old nickname would bring some of her memories back. She slowly nodded and looked at Damon. She silently told him it was okay to leave, that she felt safe with Stefan, and he cautiously left the room, closing the door behind him. He sat on the chair where he had been less than an hour ago. He leaned towards the wall, hoping to hear what his brother had to say.

Stefan cleared his throat, suddenly unsure of himself. "Well Lena, can you tell me what you remember, my love?" He spoke slowly and in an almost cooing voice, speaking to her as if she were a child. Damon immediately rolled his eyes at this, silently cursing his brother out.

She thought about her answer for a moment, before confidently announcing "Well. Your Stefan, and your brother is Damon, and I love Damon. I don't remember a lot, but I remember a few times with him. He loves me. Right?"

As Stefan's jaw dropped, his heart broke. Damon slowly opened the door and creeped his way back into the room. He sat at the foot of Elena's bed as she lovingly gazed into what looked to be his eyes, but he swore it was his soul. "Lena, tell me, what exactly do you remember?" Damon spoke softly, as not to scare her

She blushed softly and spoke confidently, 'Well first I remember, um, well I was...at a party! That's right! I was at a party but Matty was pissing me off so I went to the road to wait for" she paused to sigh, "my parents." She looked up to see what the Salvatores thought of her account. Was it true? Did she dream it? Fiction and reality seemed to run together at this point. "And that's when I saw Damon. You were laying in the road, and you called me by some other name...what was it? Kate? No...Katherine! Thats it you called me Katherine!" Her face lit up at her new discovery, but the brothers looked far from amused

"What happened next?" Stefan spoke gruffly, Damon shot him a dirty look, the poor girl was confused, and Stefan couldn't handle it.

"Well umm we talked about life...like what I want in it...and we talked about love. Then my parents came at that's all I remember. Oh! There was another time too!" Elena sounded ecstatic each time she remembered a new detail. "So I walked into my room and Damon was there. And he told me that he was selfish, but that he loved me. Then he gave me my necklace and left, so I went to sleep. That's it. That's all I remember." She sounded disappointed now, wishing she knew more.

"Stef. Me. You. Hallway. Now." Damon spoke quickly to his brother. Elena looked panicked, "Dont worry Lena, I'll be right back. We both will. Right Stef?" Damon attempted to soothe the girl, and his brother reassuringly nodded. Elena reluctantly motioned for the brothers to leave, right as Alaric walked in.


	4. Chapter 4:The reaction

"Hey, Im Alaric Saltzman" the man spoke softly as he walked towards Elena. "Im your um," he had to stop. What was he to her exactly?

Luckily Elena stepped in saying, "History teacher slash dead aunt's boyfriend slash guardian?" She winced at how easily she spoke of Jenna's death. Alaric's jaw dropped, Damon had said she didn't remember anything. "Am I right? That's all that Damon told me."

Alaric slowly nodded, now disappointed, He had hoped she could return to her normal life, but it didn't look like that would be happening anytime soon.

In the hallway, Damon and Stefan had been sitting in silence, looking at the floor. Damon was the first to break the silence, "Well. It looks like shes only remembering what she was compelled to forget. Which really sucks for me right now. Sorry about that whole I love you thing...you werent supposed to know."

Stefan jumped from his seat, suddenly pinning Damon against the wall. "This really sucks for you? Are you fucking kidding me Damon? You're right, you are selfish! How the hell do you think I feel? My girlfriend doesn't remember me, but she remembers you! And she remembers that you love her! And shes assuming that she loved you too because she doesn't know what else to do!" Stefan spoke in barely more than a whisper, but somehow it was the most threatening tone he had ever used.

Damon pushed his brother to the floor in one swift movement, loudly announcing "Easy there bunny boy, I can still kick your ass." He allowed his brother to stand up, then went on. "Well someones gotta tell her that vampires are real. Oh and that she is one. Probably better to do that sooner rather than later when she rips someone to shreds, but that's just my opinion." Damon began to laugh, noting "Haha see what I did there Stef? I said rip. As in ripper. Or should I say rippah?" Damon used an english accent on the last word, imitating Klaus Mikaelson. Stefan mumbled a slur of vulgarities before storming out of the hospital.

_  
**Sorry, really short chapter! This was originally part of chapter 3 but the it was too long. Chapter 5 will probably be up tomorrow or maybe even tonight**

**Anyway leave reviews, I love reading them!**


	5. Chapter 5:The idea

Damon had allowed his brother to leave, he knew that Stefan needed time to cool off, and he would be fine. Damon had said his goodbyes to Ric, turning down his incredibly tempting offer of a night at the Grille. Damon knew that he had to stay for Elena. She had dozed off into another deep sleep, and when she awoke he planned on filling her in on vampirism.

*2 hours later*

"Hey sleepy" Damon whispered to a drowsy Elena. Despite the bruises on her forehead and the scratches on her cheek, she was absolutely flawless to him.

"Hey back" she smiled as she turned to look at him. She was so confused, where had Stefan gone? Why did her gums hurt? Why had the curtains been closed all day? Had she eaten at all today? She was starving. Then her eyes locked with Damon, and nothing else mattered.

"Listen Lena. We need to talk about some stuff" He began to look anxiously around the room and biting his lip, dreading her reaction.

"What is it? Is there more that I forgot? Oh my God please tell me that everyone is still alive." Elena was already panicking, and he hadnt even broken the news yet.

"Well, there are a few more pieces you've been missing. But I'm gonna fill you in. So on the first day of school-" He stopped short. Why should he tell her, when she could tell herself? "Lena. I want you to stay awake. I'm gonna go somewhere, but I'll be back in about a half hour. Call the nurses if you need anything." he spoke quickly, with a stellar smile across his face. He nearly jogged out of the room, and like that he was gone. As he walked out of the hospital, he noticed his brother sitting against a wall next to the entrance. "Stef? You okay man? Listen, Im sorry about before, I get it, we're both really stressed and-" Damon looked down at his brother. His eyes had been black with guilt and his lips were a bright red. "Oh shit. Stef?" Damon whispered into the night. Stefan looked at his feet then towards a body that had been in the shadows. He had "rippered" another victim, this time a young blonde. "Get in the car." Damon commanded his brother.

They drove for about 5 minutes in silence before Stefan asked where they were going. "To save the day, And Lena." Damon didn't have a hint of happiness in his voice as he usually did. They pulled up to her house and Damon ran vamp style to her bedroom. He ripped it apart, looking for her diary. He knew she religiously kept one, he had seen her writing in the simple journal. He smirked at the thought of her shooing him in a crow form away. She was so frustrated at such a simple thing. He rolled his eyes at her Petrova fire, but he knew he loved it.

Stefan walked gracefully into the bedroom, which looked like a hurricane had just blown through. He simply walked up to the horse painting and took it off the wall. He grabbed the journal from the inside of the canvas, and replaced the painting. He whipped the journal across the room, hitting Damon directly in the head. "Oops." he smugly said through his laugh. After that he was gone. Damon drove well over the speed limit, not even caring about his brother's whereabouts. All he knew was he had the one thing that would help Elena.

He ran into the room, and released a huge sigh of relief when he saw her smiling up at him. He gently tossed the journal onto her bed. She looked so excited so see something familiar, She slowly opened the journal. "How could she be so beautiful?" Damon silently thought to himself. He loved watching her smile as the memories slowly coming back. Then she read it. He saw her face drop, then the book fell out of her hands. She looked up, speechless.

"Am I a?" She stammered, not being able to finish her sentence. Damon silently nodded, bracing himself for a breakdown. But, she didn't break. She cried, but silently. Through her tears he could see a smile on her face. "Thank you. Thank you. Thank you." she chanted over and over again at a nearly inaudible tone. He brushed her hair off her face, and she smiled even more, announcing to Damon, "Its either this or be dead right? I'm alive. I'm happy. Its okay. I'll adjust." And just like that. she returned to reading her journal. Her strength amazed him. She was extraordinary. He sat on the edge of her bed, studying her eyes as she read on. Suddenly she looked up, shocked. "I lost my virginity?! To Stefan!? And I don't even remember it?!" she screamed across the room.

"Well I think that reflects on Stefan, not you." Damon whispered in her ear. The two laughed, and he really felt like things were going back to normal.

"Damon, it seems like I really loved Stefan. And he loved me. But I wrote about you a lot too. Can you fill in the dark spots?" She asked, she was so unsure of herself. Elena Gilbert had always been a confident girl, it was so rare for her to feel this helpless.

"Well. You and Stef, you guys were the dream couple of Mystic Falls. But then he went all crazy ripper. Because of me. You'll read more about that I'm sure, but these are the basics. He came back from his binge, but the whole time he was gone, I was the one who took care of you." Damon realized that he could lie to her, she wouldn't know the difference. Then he realized he couldn't. He couldn't lie to the helpless girl lying next to him. If she was going to love him, it would have to be real.

**Hey! Hope you like the new chapter! I'm on a roll here, the chapters keep coming to me, so I figured I may as well write them while I have the time. Anyway, enjoy! Leave your reviews,and if you ever have suggestions, send them my way! (:**  
**-Kay**


	6. Chapter 6: The memories

She woke up the next morning, finally in a familiar place, her bedroom. She sat up and reached for her journal and began to write, as she always did. After she had written a page, she heard her door slowly creak open. "Its okay, I'm awake." she said to her visitor, Damon walked into the room with his signature smirk on his face.

"Finally, I thought you'd never wake up. All you do is sleep Lena." He seemed happy today, which was a good sign. Elena glanced at her alarm clock. It was only 9:30.

"Seriously Damon? I just got out of the hospital after a car crash and I sleep until 9-" she started to scream, but stopped the moment Damon started laughing at her. She joined him, realizing how ridiculous she was being. He made a joke, which was something she needed to hear.

"Wow, someone just took Petrova fire to a new level..." Damon said through his laughter, gaining a pillow thrown at his face in response. The two laughed, and everything seemed normal for a minute. It was as if they were two teenagers, having a laugh, and Damon cherished that. Because he was about to ruin it. As their laughter died down, he sat down on her bed with her, and took her hand. "Lena, I'm about to take a very high and annoying road, and tell you something." he started. He knew he was going to regret telling her this later, he could make it so easy for himself. She woke up and thought they were together. He could have went along with that, but something told him not to. He needed to know that it was real. To this day, he never knew if his love for Katherine was real or not, and it killed him. "So. I know that you fell asleep around the ripper part of our story last night. But I wasnt being totally honest. So now I'm going to tell you the full, unabridged version of the last year and a half of your life." He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. This was going to be a long day. "So. You remember that night when we first met?" she nodded immediately, "Well, you should have died that night." he instantly realized this was a horrible choice of words from the look on her face. She pulled her hand out of his, and crossed her arms across her chest. "Sorry Lena, but I promised you the truth. So your parents drove off the bridge. And Stefan, before he knew you, swam down to save you guys. Your dad made him save you first, and he did. When he went back for your parents it was too late." he bowed his head, mainly because he couldn't bear to look at her right now.

She reached for her phone. Her hands did it on their own, going to the contacts and scrolling until she reached the "S" section. Damon immediately grabbed the phone from her hands and put it behind his back. "What the hell Damon! Give me the damn phone! You are such a child!" Elena scolded Damon through her tears.

Damon bit his tongue, he wasn't going to yell at her. As much as he wanted to, he couldn't. She was very vulnerable and he wouldn't allow himself to hurt her. "Lena, I know you think you want to call Stef right this minute, but I think you should hear the whole story first. Just hear me out." Once Elena reluctantly agreed, he went on with the story. "So then school started. You guys were flirting blah blah blahs, Blondie, thats your friend Caroline, tried to get with Stefan and he rejected her. Hmm...what else did you miss? Oh yes. My personal heartbreak," he spoke dramatically, trying to get another laugh out of her, and it worked.

"And what would that be, ?" the brunette asked with a brilliant smile on her face.

"Well, Katherine was supposed to be in the tomb. But the bitch used me, and she wasnt there." The pain on Damon's face was visible as he spoke of the woman who broke his heart.

"Wait, Katherine Pierce? Shes the one I look like, right? You and Stefan both loved her and she couldn't choose-" Elena spoke as if she were discussing a TV show, not Damons life. He cut her off with a quick nod. "Im sorry Damon." she said quietly, understanding that she had hurt him.

"Eh its fine, who needs a bitch like her anyway? So she had lied to me. Shocker. Anyway, that night, I let go of her. It took me over a hundred years, but I let go. I was officially done with her. And before I knew it, I started falling in love with you." He found himself looking at his hands, like a schoolboy, too afraid to tell a girl he liked her. What the hell was this? He was Damon Salvatore. He was a freakin legend. He slept with Marilyn Monroe. In fact, he rocked her world. He smirked at the memory, then realized no one else he had been with mattered. He just wanted Elena. Not for one night, but forever.

Damon went on telling her this story for 2 hours, until it was over. She had been in tears at the end. "I remember." she quietly whispered. Damon almost broke his neck, he looked up so quickly. She slowly nodded, a small grin coming to her face "I remember! Damon I remember! Not all of it but I remember more than I did this morning! That has to be something right?!" Her enthusiasm had been contagious, and as she began to jump up and down on the bed, Damon found himself joining her. They danced around her room until Damon went downstairs. He returned with a full bottle of bourbon, that Elena assumed was Ric's. They drank the entire thing together and ended the night snuggling on the couch watching The Notebook.

Damon began to laugh at the old man, and Elena punched him for it. "Im not laughing at him Lena, I'm laughing with him! I had to basically do the same thing for you! We're the old couple!" The two began laughing hysterically, until Jeremy was awake.

"Lena?" the younger Gilbert innocently spoke from the doorway, "Oh um hey Damon, I thought you had left."

"Jeremy! Im Rachel McAdams and Damon is Ryan Gosling!" Elena drunkenly screamed before collapsing back on the couch.

"Yeah she still can't hold her liquor. Sorry about that Little Gilbert. But it'll control the cravings until someone teaches her how to hunt." Damon spoke to Jeremy, who he had become closer with lately.

"Don't worry about it man, you can crash here tonight if you want...she seems happy when she's with you. And I was hoping you could get her, you know, in control? Just so my sister doesn't suck the blood out of me in the middle of the night or anything" Jeremy laughed, but he was only half joking.

"Of course, I'll take her out tomorrow, and thanks for letting me stay here tonight." Damon smiled as Jeremy walked out of the room.

"Oh, have you heard from Stefan?" Jeremy said quietly, not wanting to wake his sister, especially with a question like this.

Damon mouthed a silent "no" before sitting back on the couch with Elena. He wrapped his arm around her and they fell asleep for a few hours.

"Seriously? Dude I know you like her but I don't wanna see this! Shes like my niece or something!" Ric said as he stumbled in the door at 4am.  
Damon laughed, "Calm down Ric! I didn't sleep with her!" Damon said to Ric, then added in a quiet "yet," Alaric threw his jacket at Damon before walking up the stairs. "Good night honey!" Damon called after him, getting the finger in response.


	7. Chapter 7: The morning

Damon woke up the next morning alone on the couch of the Gilbert house. He sat up, not used to waking up anywhere else than the boarding house, When he did, he saw Elena in the kitchen, making breakfast. "God Damon, I thought you'd sleep forever!" she quoted his words from yesterday.

"Wow, if it isn't little miss "I'm so wasted my brother feels the need to hire a babysitter!" Damon retalliated, pointing at himself as he said the last word.

She started to laugh, "No! Really? I wasnt that drunk Damon!"

"Well, your last words of the night were "Damon is Ryan Gosling!", so I think you can figure out just how drunk you were my dear." Damon replied. "Anyway, I don't know how your not hungover right now, but what are you making for breakfast?"

"Well I have eggs and pancakes on for Jer and Ric, thats like their favorite thing, they get so excited. And I was gonna ask what you wanted."

"Im fine Lena, don't worry about me. What do you plan on eating?"

"Breakfast isn't my thing. I'm a "grab a granola bar and go" kind of girl" she smirked as she unwrapped the chocolate chip granola bar. "Anyway, do me a favor? Wake up Jer and Ric?" Damon nodded and began to pad up the stairs.

She heard him in Ric's bedroom, laughing to herself as he called "Good morning! Wakey wakey Ricky!" in a singsong voice. Then she laughed harder as she heard Ric curse Damon out. She hadn't realized how close they were, but she liked it. It made her feel like she was part of a family again. Jeremy started walking down the stairs just as Elena finished breakfast. "Hey Lena, how you feeling? You okay? Because you didn't look too good last night..." Jeremy greeted his sister.

"Im fine Jer, just a little too much to drink." Elena rolled her eyes at how overprotective her little brother could get. He gave her a judgemental look, so she added "Okay a lot too much to drink. Happy?" as she put his plate on the table. "Damon! Ric! Come down, its getting cold! What are you two doing anyways?" she called up the stairs.

"Ric, I told you, she'll be fine! I'll take care of her! I'll teach her! Im not telling you shes never going to hurt anyone, because she will, but I promise, she'll be okay." Damon said in barely more than a whisper. "Coming Lena!" he called down the stairs. Ric nodded and followed Damon down the stairs.

"So whats on the agenda today?" Ric started the table conversation and looked at Damon. He was sipping coffee, as was Elena.

"Well, actually Ric, I was planning on taking Lena out for a day of fun. If thats okay with everyone. Lena? How about it?" Damon responded

"Um yeah sure, but are we going back to Bree's? Because I feel like that was a one time only thing." said Elena

Damon laughed, "No Bree today, unfortunately. God, I love that woman..." he seemed to be reminiscing about his times with the woman as he gazed across the room.

"No Chicago either right?" Jeremy added in a snippy tone

"Oh grow up Jer! We made out. Intensely. At a motel. Wow, I guess that does sound bad...but still! Get over it!" Elena shot her brother daggers when she spoke, getting a laugh from everyone at the table.

Ric and Jeremy cleaned up the table while Elena got ready. Damon flipped through Jeremy's sketch book, "Damn Little Gilbert, your good! You should try tattooing!" Damon mused at the teenager.

"One, don't call me that!" Started Jeremy,

"And two, don't encourage that!" Ric finished for him.

Elena came down the staircase in denim cutoff shorts, a maroon tank top and converse on. Her hair was in a high ponytail and her makeup was minimal, but noticeable. She looked so beautiful, yet so simple, Damon thought to himself. "Well your chariot awaits milady" Damon opened the front door and mouthed "Dont wait up" to Ric. Ric was about to scream before Damon laughed, saying "Kidding! Kidding! Jeez!" and closing the door,

They took Damon's blue convertible, and as he pulled into the woods, Elena asked "Why are we stopping? This is a day of fun? You made it sound like we were going to six flags or something..." Elena sounded disappointed, but Damon knew he would make this day fun.

"Dont worry, this will be fun! Your gonna learn how to hunt! Nothing is fun on an empty stomach!" he chided. They walked towards the tomb, and Damon told her this is where they would work. "Okay. Close your eyes," Damon was serious now, ready to teach.

Elena however was not ready to learn, as she cut Damon off singing, "Give me your hand, darling. Do you feel my heart beating?" before she was silenced with a dirty look.

"Now is not the time to start singing hits from the 80's Lena. God, you have no comedic timing do you?" He smirked at her, knowing this would anger her.

She slapped him across the face and in less than a second he had her back pressed to his chest. "Step one. Know thy enemy." he whispered into her hair. She looked up at him, and as their eyes locked, she kissed him.****

Dun dun dun! So theres chapter 7 for you! Cliff hanger! I know my chapters are really short, so sorry guys! Please leave reviews though! I love reading them, and I'll try to post a chapter a night from now on, but don't get mad if I miss it! Im a busy person!


	8. Chapter 8: The confession

Damon couldn't believe what had just happened. They stood there, frozen for a minute, although it felt like an eternity, They simply gazed into each other's eyes, as Damon held her close to him, enjoying the feeling of not being alone in life. "Dammit Elena, I can't do this." Damon allowed his arms to fall from her waist, as he slowly backed away.

Elena had no idea what was going on. A minute ago he had looked perfectly happy, and now he was walking away from her? The confusion was visible on her face and in her voice as she asked quietly, "Whats wrong Damon?"

"Stefan. Its Stefan. It'll always be Stefan. He never lets me have what I want, ever! I'm the older brother! I am superior to him! But no one else sees it that way! Not him, not Katherine, not my father, nobody! Nobody ever fucking chooses me! Whats wrong with me Elena? Why doesn't anyone want me?" Damon was hysterical now, close to tears as he screamed the questions at her, He began to wiggle his daylight ring off his finger as he announced "Fuck this, I'm done." before Elena rushed over and held his hands.

"Damon. Damon look at me." she spoke soothingly, but demanded he pay attention. "I'm choosing you. I love you. You are better than Stefan. I want you, theres nothing wrong with you Damon." She looked up at him with her chocolate brown eyes, as his icy blue eyes turned into oceans. She saw the slight tear forming, but didn't comment, knowing he would fight it and laugh it off if she did. "Its okay to let yourself feel Damon, Is there a risk you'll get hurt? Absolutely, But I promise Damon, I will never hurt you, because" she paused before stammering out "because I love you Damon."

Damon thought for a moment, had any day in his history even compared to this beautiful moment? He didn't care about the last hundred years of his life, he suddenly found himself eager for the hundred more coming, Part of him was sad, knowing that he and Elena could never have the human experience, but then again, he never would have met her if he had died in 1864. "But what about Stefan?" Damon muttered under his breath. He was so insecure, this was the first time anyone had chosen him, and he needed to verify it.  
Elena smiled, enjoying the sensitive side of Damon, "Well. I've seen Stefan for a total of, I don't know, five minutes since the accident? Obviously he can't handle vampire me, and I'm okay with that. He doesn't care about me anymore, or else he would be here. And he isn't. But you are." She put all of her weight on the balls of her feet, leaning up to kiss the older Salvatore.

Damon was positive now, this was most definitely the best day of his existence. He kissed Elena long and hard, like he had never kissed anyone before. Suddenly he pulled back, whispering "Elena. I don't think I told you this." the guilt hitting him like a brick. "Stefan isn't here because, well" he couldn't get the words out. "Well he went all ripper again. He's with Klaus."

Elena rolled her eyes, saying in a frustrated tone, "Damon! How many times do I have to say it? I don't care about Stefan! The girl who loved him? She died. On Wickery Bridge. And the result of her death? It allowed for the real me to break through. The version of me who loves you. But obviously you are too insecure and worried to handle that right now, so I'll teach myself how to hunt. I'll see you later Damon, when you find some self esteem." She walked away, deeper into the woods, and Damon let her go. He knew when a woman wanted to be chased, and when she needed to be alone. She definitely needed to be alone.

Had he really just been scolded for being insecure? He laughed, she was probably just hungry. He thought for a minute, trying to remember the last time she fed. It was in the hospital, nearly 6 days ago. Suddenly, he heard a scream in a distance. "God dammit, Lena" he mumbled as he began running towards the sound. "Even after her death, I still have to save her" he thought as he attempted to locate her on his own.****

Sorry, reeeally short chapter guys! Hope you enjoyed, leave reviews and suggestions as always! Also, quick question. Would you rather have a new, short chapter everyday, or have longer more in depth chapters every 2 or three days? Let me know, thanks for reading!


	9. Chapter 9: The return

**Okay! Starting note! I wrote chapter 8 very late last night and I was really tired, so I just read it over and I found a few flaws. Elena wasnt supposed to say "I love you" until the end when she stammered it out, I noticed that I put it twice in that dialogue, it shouldn't be there the first time! Also, I wasn't happy with a few grammatical errors, so I apologize! Anyway, here's chapter 9! I tried to make it a little longer, so I hope you enjoy (:**

He ran as fast as he possibly could to find her. The screams became increasingly louder, and he finally found her. Her face was buried deep in the neck of a screaming blonde, There was blood everywhere, dripping onto his shirt and hers. She was feeding hard, and Damon watched for a moment until he saw the signs. The man was slowly fading. He ran over and tried to pull her off of him, and thats when he realized who she was feeding on. It was Matt Donovan. It was quite ironic, the reason her life was over was now giving her strength. No matter how hard he pulled Elena would not get off of Matt. "Elena! Your killing him! Elena! Get it together! Your killing Matt! Its Matt Donovan!" He screamed, hoping to persuade her before it was too late. The moment he said Matt's name, she threw the boy to the ground. In an instant she was on her feet, running at top speed. Damon bent down to check if Matt was okay. "Donovan. Can you hear me?" He said, without an ounce of sympathy in his voice. Damon thought Matt deserved this. Matt slowly nodded. "Okay, I don't know if you got the memo but Lenas a vampire now. Sorry if it didn't make the papers. But I need you to forget this. You were walking in the woods, and now you are going home, You will sit in your house for at least 24 hours. Don't let anyone in. And please. Don't get killed. Now drink this." Damon bit his wrist and held it out to Matt. Damon tried to clean Matt's shirt up the best he could, then sent him on his way.

Now that Matt was taken care of, he knew he had to take care of Elena. He looked around, and she was nowhere in sight. He walked further into the woods, still not seeing any signs of her. He was beginning to worry, hoping nothing had happened. Then he noticed she was sitting with her back against a tree, sobbing. He slowly walked over, not wanting to frighten her. "Lena, its okay! He's okay, you didn't hurt him." he whispered as he held her.

She slowly shook her head. "It's not okay. None of this is okay! I could have killed him! Innocent little Matt! What the hell did he do to deserve that?" she asked as she cried even harder.

Damon rolled his eyes, he really hated that Donovan kid. "Well for starters, lets just look at the bright side! You didn't kill him! You barely even hurt him! Thats really impressive, your first feed, and you were angry, but no one got hurt. And I think its okay that it was Matt. He kind of had it coming."  
She smiled a little bit, and lightly punched Damon on the arm. "He didn't have it coming Damon. If I didn't die that night, I never would have admitted to myself that this is what I want to do."

"What do you want to do? Sit down in the woods and cry? Is that what the kids aim to do now a days?" He asked, smirking the entire time.

"No, this." Elena leaned over and began to kiss Damon. She pulled back and he looked at her with a questioning look. "I love you Damon." He looked away, he couldn't seem to accept that she loved him. "Damon. Look at me. I love you." she kissed him again. "I love you." she whispered, and she kissed him yet again, this time on his neck. She slowly repeated this, kissing his broad shoulders, his arms, and then slowly unbuttoning his shirt as she kissed down his chest. Finally, he looked up.

"I love you too Lena. I always have, and I'll never stop." he kissed her, now with a sense of urgency. He quickly pulled back and swept her off the ground and into his arms, He carried her to the car, walking slowly so he could kiss her the whole way there.

"Damon, what the hell are you doing?" she breathlessly asked as he kissed her neck. Stefan had never been like this. It felt dangerous, but she liked it. It felt like they were the only people on earth, he consumed her when they were together.

"Elena, if we're doing this, we're doing it right. We aren't Wolfie Boy and Vampire Barbie. We aren't doing it in the woods." he said, smirking at his own words.

As they reached the car, Elena jumped out of his arms, rushing to the passenger seat. As he sat down in front of the wheel she quickly commanded, "Drive." After what felt like the longest car ride of her life, Damon was opening the car door for her. "Wow, isn't someone being a gentleman" she sarcastically said to him. "I'm gonna sleep with you anyway Damon, no need to be a kiss up." she added. She smirked, giving him a taste of his own sarcastic medicine.

"God Elena, how did I get this lucky? Beautiful, smart, sexy, funny, and outrageously bitchy?" He said before pushing her against the car to kiss her neck once again. She laughed and wondered seriously how she had gotten so lucky. He picked her up and carried her through the front door, She ripped his shirt off, before slowly taking off her own revealing a red and black lace bra. "So so lucky." he mumbled before kissing her again. His hands were around her small waist, he could almost wrap his hands completely around them. He had never felt this happy in his whole life. He kicked his shoes off, and as he regained his balance, she wrapped her legs around him. He carried her up the stairs towards his bedroom, which was opposite Stefan's. Damon stopped dead in his tracks when he saw the younger Salvatore sitting in his bedroom.

"Hello brother." Stefan said with a smile. "Hey there Lena" he said, even adding in a wave.

"Stefan, what are you doing here? I thought you were with Klaus!" She said, climbing down from Damon. She stood behind him, covering herself.

"Well Elena, as you may or may not recall, I live here too. And I thought you were with me. Cause you know. When two people are dating, they usually don't try hopping into bed with their lover's brother. I mean you don't see me with Jeremy, now do you?" He was still smiling, taunting her.

"Well Stefan, I do recall us being together, why I don't know, but I do remember that mistake. Sorry there wasnt a dramatic break up, but I figured it was clear that it was over because what I don't remember is you coming to the hospital and taking care of me. Cause you know. When two people are dating, they usually take care of eachother. I mean, I did help you get off your first little ripper binge now didn't I?" She fired back, slowly walking towards him.

He pushed her away from him by the shoulders, "Get away from me, slut." he nearly screamed at her. Damon immediately began charging towards his brother, planning to rip his throat out. no one would disrespect Elena like that.

"Damon! Don't! I can take care of this." she spoke so calmly, it was remarkable. He slowly backed off, giving Stefan a vicious look. Elena diverted her attention back to the younger brother and began to laugh, saying "Oh Stefan. I believe you're forgetting two things. One, I was one of the most popular girls in school. You really think calling me a slut can hurt me? I was the cheerleader going out with the quarterback for, how many years? I've been called a lot worse. Two, I'm a vampire now." she noticed him flinch as she announced her new identity. "I'm stronger now than I was before. Oh, and I just had human blood. Don't worry, I won't hurt you because unlike some people, I have my humanity. So why don't you go ask Snow White if she has any squirrels for you?" She smiled and slowly walked into Damon's bedroom. Before she closed the door she said, "Come in whenever you're ready Damon. Bye now Stef."

Damon and Stefan stood, paralyzed with shock. What the hell had just happened? Stefan looked at his brother and said, "Good luck with that one. Crazy bitch." before walking towards the staircase.

Elena shouted from the bedroom in a singsong voice, "The crazy bitch can hear you! Shes a vampire and her hearing is just as good as yours could be if you weren't such a bunny boy!"

Damon had to suppress a laugh, Elena was on a roll today. He pushed Stefan against a wall, his hand holding a tight grip at Stefan's throat. "Listen to me. You were wrong. You don't deserve can't accept her this way. You should have been in the hospital every fucking day. But you weren't. And I was. I took care of her. And she chose me. She loves me. I told her absolutely everything she had forgotten,probably more! I told her the little things you told me but not her! How you wanted to fucking marry her, and grow old with her and all that shit. I told her everything. And she still chose me. And I seem to recall an agreement. You said if she chose me, you would leave town. Well theres the door, dick. If I ever see you again, I will not hesitate to stake you, right through the heart." He let go of his brother, and Stefan slowly slumped to the ground. He then stood up, nodded, and left without a single word. Damon listened to make sure Stefan actually left and when he did he walked slowly towards his bedroom. He walked in to find Elena under his sheets, smiling up at him. "Have I ever told you how amazing you are Ms. Gilbert?" he said from across the room.

She looked around the room, as if she were considering the question. "Why, no you haven't . But you can show me."

He dove onto the bed next to the nearly flawless woman. Elena had never felt so happy and free as she did in his bedroom with him.


	10. Chapter 10: The little things

Damon woke up feeling the sun shining directly in his face, which was strange. His curtains were never open. Elena! He opened his eyes and found the spot next to him empty. The details of last night were slowly coming back to him, he didn't remember anything going wrong. Why had Elena left? She decided she was going to wait a while before heading back to school, so she wasn't there. Had Stefan done something? He sat up in a flash, only to see Elena in his doorway holding a platter of food, wearing only one of Damon's button downs. "Good morning sunshine!" she said, bringing the platter over for breakfast in bed.

He took the food and put it on his nightstand. He pulled her on top of him and said, "Now its a good morning.", kissing her.

"Damon, I love you and I had so much fun last night, but we have all day. I'm starving, can we actually eat?" she said. She looked at him with her puppy like chocolate eyes.

Damon groaned in response, then mumbled "Fiiine." like a child who wasn't allowed to play at the moment.

Elena laughed before saying "Thank you babe" and kissing him on the cheek. They sat and ate their breakfast and made small talk until Damon brought it up.

"So are we gonna talk about what happened last night?" he asked bluntly.

"Well Damon, when a boy loves a girl and a girl loves a boy," she started sarcastically.

"Lena, you and I both know that's not what I meant." he lowered his head, demanding he answer his question.  
"Well, I don't know what there is to talk about. Stefan came and we talked and then he left. You don't have to worry, I'll be fine."

"I don't like him. I don't want him anywhere near us. I backed off when you two were together. No matter how much I wanted you, I respected him. I gave you two your space, and I don't see why he can't do the same." Damon responded

"Because he's an ass." Elena replied.

"Yeah but so am I."

"Well yeah, but you make it look good. He just makes it look...assish."

"Wow Lena, Mystic Falls High has taught you well. I'm sure Ric would be so proud right now...maybe you should go back sooner." He sarcastically said, knowing it would ignite the Petrova flame.

"Shut up Damon!" she jokingly hit him.

"Wanna do that again?" He dared her.

"I'm not afraid of you Salvatore." She said before hitting him again.

"You should be" He flipped her over in less than a second, his arms towering over her.

"Yeah? Why is that?" she asked.

He started doing push ups, kissing her every time he went down. On the third one, Elena flipped him over. Now the positions were switched, and she laughed, saying "Oh yeah Salvatore, I'm petrified!"

"I could get used to this..." He murmured before pulling her in for what seemed like the thousandth kiss in the last day.

*3 hours later*  
"Have I mentioned how good you look in my clothes?" he whispered.

Elena laughed and pulled Damon's arms even closer to her. He had been holding her for what seemed like an eternity, but she would never tire of it. She felt so safe in his arms, it was her favorite place in the world.

He held her as close as he could, he couldn't remember the last time he had been this happy. He heard her phone start to buzz on the table next to them and she groaned, saying "Ugh, people. I don't want to deal with anyone right now. I just want to stay like this." She stayed put for 2 more buzzes, then said, "Oh shit, it might be Jer, better make sure he's okay." She answered the phone saying, "Oh hey Ric." then there was a pause. "Yeah I um stayed at Damon's.", followed by another pause. Elena was holding in laughter and making faces at Damon. "Yes Ric we're fine." she said rolling her eyes. Ric kept talking until Damon grabbed the phone out of Elena's hand.

"Ric, you fucking cockblock!" Damon screamed into the phone. Elena burst into laughter, sprawling out on the bed. "Don't worry Ric, I'll take care of my girl." He smiled at Elena, she was finally his. "I don't know when she'll be going home, if I get it my way, never." Elena now beamed at him. "Alright alright alright goodbye Ric, no I won't be at the grille tonight! Goodbye!" he quickly rushed Ric off the phone and tossed it across the room. "Oh no! Lena how'd your phone get over there on silent! Guess its just gonna have to be you and me, no distractions."

"Oh no! What a shame." she said before getting back into their original positions. "So, Damon, what are we gonna do with the rest of forever?" she asked as he rested his chin on her head.

"Well, I was thinking we could have a lot more days like today, but different." he replied.

"Different how? This is the closest thing to perfection I have ever been a part of." She asked.

"Well, in my ideal world we would both be wearing a little more."

"What?" she asked. Now she was beyond confused.

"Rings Lena. Rings, I want to marry you one day."

She felt tears come to her eyes. "Oh, Damon!" she turned around to face him, but he was gone. She heard him downstairs, and when he came back it was with a little black box.

"I know its crazy, but so are we! Nothing about us so far has been traditional, but" he got down on one knee and took her hand, "Elena Gilbert, will you do me the honor of marrying me?"

Now her tears were rapid, flowing down her face. At first she couldn't find the right words at first, so she started quickly nodding her head. "Yes! Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes Damon of course!" she squealed as he put the ring on her finger. He kissed her and spun her around the room. "Damon? Can you do me a favor?"

"Anything love."

"When we tell people the engagement story, can we say we were fully clothed?"  
The two started hysterically laughing. "Of course babe, we'll come up with a story. In the meantime, why don't I drop you off home so you can get dressed, and I'll take you out for a real date? Does that sound good?" he asked.  
"That sounds awesome Damon. I think we should wait to tell Ric though."

Damon nodded before saying, "Don't forget to pack an overnight bag this time."****

Okay so yeah! Delena wedding in the making! Lucky you guys got two chapters tonight! Maybe you'll get two again tomorrow, because I don't have practice, but no promises! Suggestions, tips, and reviews always welcome! Thanks for reading, favoriting, and following!  
XOXO,  
Kay


	11. Chapter 11: The celebration

Elena was in her bedroom ripping clothes out of her closet. She had absolutely nothing to wear to dinner with Damon. She finally settled on a red a-line dress that fell just above her knee. She opted for an updo, with light makeup and nude heels. She quickly threw jeans and a tee shirt in a bag with a pair of pajamas, though she doubted she'd need them. She looked out her window and saw Damon's car. Then she heard the doorbell ring. She smiled, he could be so sweet when he wanted to be. Ric got to the door before she did, and she heard them chatting. Elena came down the stairs and Damon advised her to go get a light jacket. She kicked off her heels so she could actually make it up the stairs and put on a cropped leather jacket, smiling because she knew Damon would approve. She slipped her heels back on at the bottom of the stairs and said goodbye to Alaric. Just when she thought Damon could be appropriate for more than five minutes, he shouted "Dont wait up if you know what I mean!" to Ric as he walked to the car.

"Damon! Really!" she squealed, playfully hitting him.

"C'mon Lena, hes my best friend! And do you really want to start that game again? At least wait till we get back to the house." he said, wiggling his eyebrows before opening the car door for Elena.

"Wow, your getting good at this whole gentleman thing."

"I was alive in the 1800s Elena. I was raised with the whole gentleman thing. I just chose to abandon it because nobody deserved it. Until you." he said as he climbed behind the steering wheel.

Elena blushed, Damon was being so sweet today. Then she reached into her clutch and pulled her ring out, slipping it onto her left hand. "I really want Ric to know...I just don't want to see his reaction." she said, speaking of their recent engagement, "He's not gonna like it Damon. He's gonna be pissed."

"I know." he replied, sounding like a child. Suddenly, he pulled to the side of the road and turned to face Elena. "But can't we just let ourselves enjoy one secret selfish day before we destroy his?" he spoke smoothly, and followed his question with his signature smirk.

She knew she couldn't resist that face, she didn't even try to fight it anymore. "Fine. One day. But I'm going to cook a nice dinner tomorrow and we'll have Ric, Jeremy, Care, Bonnie" she started rattling off her plans before Damon shushed her.

"Shhh. One day Lena. One day." He said as he pulled back onto the road. They made small talk for about 10 minutes, until Elena finally asked where they were going. "I know a place. You'll like it, don't worry. We're almost there."

*2 hours later*  
"Damon, are we lost? We've been in the car for ages now, its getting dark."

"Lena, calm down, we're almost there."

"Thats what you said two hours ago!"

"Shhhh. Go to sleep. I'll wake you up when we get there."

"Really Damon? Thats the best way you think you can shut me up?"

"Well, I mean I am driving Elena, I really can't use my go-to. Besides, it worked for Donovan didn't it?"

Elena gasped before she shot Damon an evil look. "Turn around. I'm not going out to dinner with you. Take me home."

Damon laughed, "Lena, you can't be serious."

"I mean it Damon."

"Oh come on. I'm sorry Lena. I didn't mean it. It was a joke!" he tried to defend himself.

"Well it wasn't funny. I actually died that night, try having a little compassion. Turn around."

"I'm realizing that now. I'm sorry babe. I love you, and you know that. We're here. Do you really want me to turn around?"

Elena looked out her window, and saw the green canopy of a place named "Bree's Bar". "Wow Damon. Impressive." she spoke sarcastically. "You get in my pants, get me to marry you, and the best place you can take me is a bar?" she added, now completely serious.

Damon was slightly hurt, but he wouldn't let her know that, not now. "Elena. This is where I took you on our road trip. We came here the day after you saw the picture of Katherine and crashed your car." he spoke calmly, hoping she would remember. "Nah, your right, let me find somewhere nicer. You deserve better." he said, pulling out his phone looking for nearby restaurants.

Elena's eyes began to tear up, faintly remembering that day. She had drank so much, she doubted she would have been able to fully remember it even before her transformation. "Damon," she whispered.

"I know, I really fucked tonight up. Let me fix it." he said, not looking up from the phone.

"No, Damon." she took the phone out of his hands. "This is perfect. I'm ruining tonight, being such a bitch. This is the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me. Lets go." She said, slowly un-buckling her seatbelt and opening her car door.

"You sure? I don't mind."

"Positive, I want to go inside, I'm starving." she nodded, with the biggest smile on her face. Damon wrapped his arm around her waist as they walked in.

"Damon Salvatore! Is that Elena?! I hope I have enough tequila for you honey!" Bree shouted across the bar, climbing over the counter to greet them.

Damon laughed, his innocent girl had a reputation for heavy drinking at this bar."Bree! Good to see you!" he hugged her, then wrapped his arm back around Elena's waist, where it belonged.

"Ms. Gilbert! Is that a ring on your finger? Stefan finally did it?" Bree asked

Elena sheepishly shook her head before giggling, "Nope, I um, kinda fell for this one." she said looking up at Damon.

"Oh! Congratulations you two! When did this happen?" she asked

"This morning. We actually came for a little celebratory dinner." Damon answered, knowing Elena was getting flustered.

"Oh, how nice! Well please, come sit!" Bree lead them to a private table in the corner, and presented them with a full bottle of champagne.  
"Wow. I have a great rep here." Elena said as Bree walked away.

Damon laughed, he couldn't help her there. He looked across the room and pointed at a stool. "I do seem to remember a certain brunette jumping on that very bar stool screaming 'I'm not even drunk! My tolerance is like way up here!', while jumping up towards the ceiling. Obviously that was before she collapsed and I had to catch her. Cute girl though." Damon shot her a charismatic smile.

"Cute, huh? She sounds sloppy to me..."

"Nahh, it was adorable."

"Oh shit, Damon are we becoming one of those couples?"

"What kind of couples?"

"The couples that just sit in public places saying how cute the other one is."

"Shit, we are. Well its better than being one of those couples that sit next to each other in restaurants." Damon said as he stood up and walked around the table, sitting next to Elena.

"Ugh, those couples are the absolute worst." Elena said before leaning in to kiss Damon.

"PDA is just horrible. I hate seeing that." Damon did a crooked smile before leaning in to kiss her again, this time adding more tongue.

Elena laughed and pushed Damon away. "Go back over there!" she said through her laughter, "Lets just make it through dinner then we can do whatever we want."

Damon was back at his seat in less than a second, but he was still holding her hand across the table. When their food came, they both ate as fast as they could, wanting to leave the bar so they could be alone. Damon left a hundred on the table for their $20 meal. Elena rolled her eyes, that was so typical of him. They walked out of the bar and suddenly Elena was pressed against the passenger door, his lips crashing on hers. She didn't fight it, she slowly brushed her tongue over his lip, knowing it drove him wild. After a few minutes, Damon peeled himself off of Elena, whispering "We can't really do it in the street...I feel like thats wrong on so many levels." Elena laughed as she opened her car door, climbing in. Damon sat behind the wheel for a minute, wondering where to go. Then he realized. His backseat was big enough. Without a word, he picked Elena up and put her down in the backseat.

"Damon! What are you doi-" she was silenced with his mouth on hers. She couldn't believe that she was having sex with Damon Salvatore in the back of a car, on a street in Georgia. If someone had told her 6 months ago that this is what would happen, she never would have believed them. She heard the zipper on her dress unzip incredibly fast, and she tried to help Damon pull it off, but she kept hitting her elbows on the windows. Eventually, Damon gave up and tore the dress off of her, promising to buy her a new one in between kisses. If he got to rip her dress, he would rip his shirt.

As she heard the buttons pop off one by one, she also heard Damon, "No! Dammit! Designer! Lena!" but she silenced each objection with another kiss.

*Next Morning*

"What the-" Elena slowly woke up. Where was she? It took her a minute to get her bearings, then she realized she was in the car. And it was moving. Luckily, it was Damon in the driver's seat, not a murderer.

"Good morning sleepyhead." he practically sang.

"Whats got you in such a good mood?" she grumpily asked.

"Eh, living out my teenage fantasies. You know, makes a guy happy."

"What, you've never had sex in a car before?"

"Not with you. Not with someone I actually love." He looked back at her, he loved watching her blush.

"Damon!" she screamed.

**Dun dun duuun! Why did Elena scream?  
Anyway, hope you guys enjoyed this, I know there was a lot of fluff, but the next chapter is gonna be good, so brace yourselves!**


	12. Chapter 12: The crash

"Damon!" she screamed.

The car was now spinning out of control on the road, crashing into another car. Elena was still screaming and crying in the backseat, as Damon tried to regain control. The minute the car stopped moving, Elena jumped into the front seat where Damon's head was resting against the steering wheel. She shook him, and after a moment, he regained consciousness. She hugged him, whispering "Oh my God Damon." repeatedly into his ear.

He held her, on the verge of tears himself. "Lena, Lena I'm so sorry, this is so irresponsible of me, I'm such a dick!" Damon was now screaming, his guilt slowly consuming him. She shook her head, not caring about any apologies, she was just glad that they were okay. Elena managed to put her ripped dress back on, with Damon's jacket over it, nobody would know it had been torn. They stepped out of the car to assess the damage. Damon's car had been hit by a pickup truck, and Damon had slammed into a small buggy. Each driver slowly began to come out, thankfully no one was hurt. Damon took care of all insurance information before the police even arrived. Within 3 hours, Damon had managed to get back on the road, with Elena in the passenger seat right next to him. "Are you sure your okay? I'm sorry, I have to be more careful driving when your in the car, I can't imagine how stressful that was for you babe, I am so sorry." he rambled on and on.

"Damon, its fine. I'm okay! Nobody got hurt, and thats all that matters!" Elena spoke with such a positive attitude. Of course she was lying, that was hell for her, reliving the death of her parents and her own, but telling Damon that wouldn't solve anything.

Finally they were back in Mystic Falls, at the boarding house. Damon was still in a bad mood, he had never felt so guilty. Elena tried to think of ways to cheer him up, but nothing seemed to be working. She even tried to kiss him, but he pushed her away, saying "Elena I can't. I feel horrible, I can't do this."

Elena had been tidying up the already clean home, and eventually ran out of things to do. Damon sat in the living room with a glass of bourbon looking at the fireplace the entire time she was there. "Alright Damon, now I'm pissed." Elena nearly screamed as she whirled into the living room.

"Thank you! Thats all I wanted! For you to admit that you're pissed! Because I fucked up! Big time!" Damon roared across the room.

"Seriously? I'm not mad about the car, I'm over that. Which you clearly aren't. And its annoying. I wanted to have a fun day with my boyfriend, but he's just gonna sit, drink, and brood allll day." she fired back, emphasizing the "all".

"I'm sorry I annoy you with my guilt Lena. Sorry I feel disgusted with myself for almost hurting you. Sorry I hate myself for putting you through that." he mumbled in response.

"Damon, I'm fine. Really. Please stop being upset. Cause when your upset, I'm upset. And I don't think you want me to be upset, now do you?" she asked  
Damon shook his head in response, managing to whisper, "No. I just want you to be happy."

"Great! Then I'll race you to your room!" Elena enthusiastically chimed as she ran up the stairs.

Damon couldn't resist a competition, he sprinted up the staircase, picking her up and throwing her over his shoulder, carrying her to his room. He threw her onto his bed, and collapsed on it himself. The two of them simply laughed, uninterrupted for a few minutes. Elena's laugh was contagious, it made Damon laugh even harder. When the two of them finally caught their breath Elena turned around, now facing Damon. "So, are we gonna talk about a wedding?" she asked, with a childlike smile on her face.

Damon groaned in response, "I just want to love you forever. I don't see why we need people and a party."

"Well then I don't see why we need a honeymoon." Elena raised an eyebrow.

"You wouldn't." he growled.

"Oh I would. Don't test me, Salvatore. I get the dress, the party, the flowers, the family, and you get the honeymoon."

"Deal." Damon agreed without hesitation. He then inched closer to Elena, and now he was on top of her, whispering "You know I hate not knowing what I'm getting myself into. Do you think we can do a practice honeymoon?" while biting her lower lip.

"Damon" Elena whispered before kissing him. Everything felt so right whenever she was with him, and she loved that feeling of security.

**Sorry, really short chapter! Wasnt really in a writing mood but didnt wanna leave you guys hanging!**


	13. Chapter 13: The past

It was around 3 am, when Elena started talking in her sleep. Now she was screaming, "No! I didn't want it to be this way!" across the room. Damon gently woke her, rubbing her shoulders.

"Hey hey Lena, its okay, it was just a dream." he whispered into her ear. He sat up, holding her as she bawled into his chest. He kissed the top of her head, still looking for ways to calm her down. "Do you want to talk about it?"

She looked up and simply said, "We have to tell Ric."

Damon's eyebrows raised in confusion. "What do we need to tell him?"

Elena simply held up her left hand, and pointed at her engagement ring.

Damon smiled, "Is that what you're so worked up about?"

Elena sheepishly nodded. "Damon it was horrible. He was screaming at me then you. And then Jeremy came in and was calling me a a" she couldn't finish her sentence without breaking into more tears. "He called me a whore for even being with you, because all your girls are whores. It was horrible Damon."

He hugged her tighter, whispering, "Its okay its over, go back to sleep. I'm right here. I promise, everything is gonna work out okay." Of course he didn't know this for sure, but he had to soothe her. What if Ric was actually angry? Should Damon have talked to him first? Jeremy had never really liked Damon, would he lash out on Elena for it? Damon couldn't will himself to fall back asleep, so he layed in bed, holding Elena slowly watching the clock tick. He watched as the sun slowly crept into the room, and finally Elena's eyes began to flutter. "Good morning hun." he whispered. She groaned in response, making him laugh. He had never been able to understand her hatred of mornings.

"What time is it?" she asked in barely more than a whisper, rubbing her tired eyes.

"It is eleven oh two, my love."

"Wow, someones in a good mood."

"Why wouldn't I be? I woke up with the most beautiful woman in the world in my room, again."

"Oh shit! Damon you're supposed to call the cops when someone comes into the house!" she laughed.

How had Damon gotten so lucky? She was so perfect, so beautiful and alive. How had Stefan thrown all this away?

"I guess we should shower and get dressed and everything." Elena said as she sat up to get out of bed.

"Is that an invitation Ms. Gilbert?"

"Not in the least Salvatore. I actually want to get things accomplished today. We're telling Ric and Jer. We'll tell everyone else later, I don't really care about that. I just need Ric and Jeremy to know."

"Fine." Damon groaned in response. He really was dreading Ric's reaction. "How about you go shower and I'll go make you breakfast. Then you'll get dressed, come down and eat with me, then obsess over your hair and makeup while I shower. Even though you don't have to because you look beautiful without makeup." he suggested.

"Aww Damon, thank you." she kissed his nose before walking towards the bathroom. "I could really go for some pancakes. And bacon. Bacons good." She spoke loudly, pretending to talk to herself.

Damon laughed as he walked downstairs, she was so confident. Most of the other girls he cooked for would barely eat, so concerned about their weight and appearance, not Elena. She managed to stay beautiful while eating whatever she wanted. Hell, even if she did gain a few pounds she would still be gorgeous.

After about 20 minutes, Elena came bouncing down the stairs, just as Damon finished breakfast. "I tried to make you heart shaped pancakes but they just turned out like awkward triangles." Damon called over his shoulder as he put the pancakes on a plate.

Elena laughed, "Alright Damon, why are you being so sweet and adorable today? I'm not complaining, but whats up?" she asked.

"I don't know. I was just thinking after you fell asleep, they might not like the engagement because I don't deserve you. I really don't, and I guess I'm just trying to be someone who does." he said with an innocent look in his eye.

"Damon, I don't want to be with anyone besides you. Don't pretend to be something you're not, because I fell in love with you. Not anyone else. You. And if they don't like it, then they can go fuck themselves, because I feel so happy when we're together. Thats not even a good enough word, the way I feel when we're together is just unexplainable. It feels right. And if they're so blind that they can't see that then I don't want them in my life. I want you Damon." Elena's eyes began to well up as she spoke. "I want you Damon. Forever." she whispered, now completely crying.

Damon didn't know what to say, he was dumbfounded. He simply walked towards her and held her. "Then you'll have me forever. I'm here as long as you want me around." he whispered into her hair. They stood that way for what seemed like forever before Elena stopped crying. She wiped away the tears from her eyes, and smiled.

"Well, lets eat." she said, leading him to the table. He couldn't bear to look at her tear stained face, he knew she was still panicking. He couldn't wait for the day to be over, hopefully she would feel okay again.

About an hour later, they were walking out of the house, hand in hand to the blue Camaro, that had Damon had pulled the dents out of. They drove to Elena's house in silence, just the radio quietly playing some old songs Elena didn't recognize. Finally, they were in the driveway. Neither of them made a move to get out of the car. Elena turned to Damon and held his hands in hers. "No matter what happens, we are getting married. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, and even if they don't support it, I will. You're stuck with me for a long time Salvatore."

Damon simply nodded, his heart was beating out of control. His palms were now sweaty, and he had no idea what was going on. He couldn't remember the last time he had felt this nervous. They stepped out of the car and rang the doorbell. Jeremy answered, greeting his sister with a hug. "Forgot your key again?" he asked.

"I guess I'll never learn." she responded.

"Elena has had a house key since middle school and she's only used it about five times." he explained to Damon.

"Hey! Look who finally got out of the boarding house!" Ric called from the kitchen.

"Hey Ric! Can we um, have a family meeting in the living room?" Elena asked.

"Uh, sure. Is everything okay?" said Ric.

"Yeah, its great."

"Oh shit, you aren't pregnant are you? I'm not ready to be an uncle yet Lena.I mean I would be an amazing uncle and I'll totally support you if you are- " Jeremy started.

Damon cut him off, "Jer. We're vampires. Your sister is never going to be pregnant."

A soft wave of sadness washed over the room as everyone thought about Elena's life. She would never age, never get to grow old, or have children of her own. Damon began to get angry as he thought about the life she could have had, the life she deserved, but took a deep breath. There was nothing he could do, he just needed to support her and get her through it.

The family sat down, and Elena pulled her hands out of her pockets. She slowly held up her left hand and said, "Damon and I are engaged."

Damon mentally cursed to himself, they really should have rehearsed this. He was hoping that they could have broke the news gently. He closed his eyes tight, bracing himself for the reaction.

"You guys are what?" Ric nearly screamed.

"Ric, don't be mad! I love him!" Elena was already crying.

"Elena! You're 19! You're still a child!" he screamed to her. "And Damon! What the hell man! Your a bachelor for what, 160 years, but now you're ready to settle down? Now of all times! With my niece!" he screamed to Damon.

"Lena, are you sure you're ready for this?" Jeremy quietly asked.

"I am not a child! I'm an adult! And you are not my uncle Ric. Jenna died before you could marry her. And obviously I am ready if I said yes Jeremy! I love Damon!" Elena shouted through tears before taking her own car keys. She ran out to her car and peeled out of the driveway.

"Look what you did! Jesus Christ, why can't you accept that she's happy! And I'm the reason why!" Damon screamed before storming out of the house and following her. She pulled into the cemetery, and he watched as she ran to her parent's tombstone. She leaned against it, and bowed her head. He could see her body shaking from the car, but he gave her a minute. She probably wanted to be alone, but after awhile he couldn't bear it any longer. He ran to her, and held her. They sat as she cried for a long time watching the sun slowly fade into the horizon, before she said anything.

"Its not fair." she whispered. "Why me, Damon? Why am I the fucking doppelganger? Why are my parents dead? Why is Jenna dead?" she started to sit up.

"Lena, I know its not fair. But your strong." he said to her.

"I'm the weakest of all Damon. Its all my fault. I'm the reason my parents were on the bridge. I'm the reason Jenna died. Its all me." Elena threw her ring as far as she could into the woods.

"Elena! Why would you do that?" he tried not to scream at her, but it was challenging. He started to stand, to search for the ring when she started screaming.

"Dont! Don't you dare go looking for that ring! I don't want to be saved! I'm not worth saving! Get as far away from me as you can, you'll just get hurt! Everyone else does! Look at Stefan! He was smart! He ran!"

"Elena. Get in my car. Now. Wait there." Damon was now seething with anger. He was outraged at how low she thought of herself at the moment.

"Nope. Im gonna wait here till the sun comes back up." Elena calmly said before laying back down on the dirt.

"Elena. Don't test me."

She remained still and silent.

"Well, I guess we're gonna have to do this the hard way then." Damon mumbled as he walked towards her. He picked her up, and she quickly jumped out of his arms, running. He caught her in an instant, holding her from behind. "Are you going to wait in the car?" he asked.

"Nope." she said, popping the p.

"Alright then. Don't say I didn't give you choices then." Damon said. He snapped her neck and put her in the backseat of his car. It killed him to hurt her, but he knew it had to be done to keep her safe.

He grabbed a flashlight out of his trunk and began scanning the woods for her ring. After a half hour, he finally found it. He drove back to the boarding house in record time, slipping the ring on her finger and carrying her inside. He put her on his bed, and waited for her to wake up. After an hour, she woke up.

"What the hell Damon! You killed me!" she screamed.

"Isn't that what you wanted?" he asked.

Elena started to cry, hugging him. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that. You saved me, thank you."

"Well, you know what they say about teen suicide. Don't do it."

"Damon, I'm serious. I'm sorry." she apologized.

"It's okay, just never do that again. I never want to see that or hear you say any of that again. You're not the reason your parents and Jenna are gone. You're the reason so many people are happy Elena. Stefan probably would have killed me a while ago if it weren't for you. You're so important, and I can't allow you to forget that." he said his pre-rehearsed speech.

"But Ric and Jeremy." she stammered out.

"What about them?" he asked.

"They wont want anything to do with me ever again!" she cried.

"Screw them! They'll come around. And if they don't, they're even bigger dumbasses than I thought they were."

"Are you sure we're not the dumbasses?" she whispered, looking up at him with doe eyes.

"Are you fucking kidding me Elena? Your questioning this now!" he roared. He picked up his bourbon glass that had been on the nightstand, gulped down the remainder and shattered the glass onto the floor. "Dammit Elena!"

He put on his leather jacket and ripped a bag out of his closet. He began throwing clothes into the bag, not worrying about folding or order.

"Damon! Damon, stop!" Elena screamed. He threw the bag over his shoulder and walked out of the room. "Damon! Where are you going!?" she was screaming through her tears, her voice cracking.

"Out!" He hissed before slamming the door. Elena collapsed onto the bed, crying harder than ever before.

**Aww! Delena fighting! Trouble in paradise! Hope you enjoyed! Leave your reviews and suggestions! Thank you for following and favoriting!**


	14. Chapter 14: The aftermath

Damon was driving at about 90 miles an hour. He had no idea where he was going or what he was going to do, he just needed to drive. He thought about going to the Grill, but Ric would probably be there, and he knew that would make matters worse. He drove for about an hour before stopping. He found himself at a lake. He walked onto the dock, and watched the water. He thought about Elena. Would they still be getting married? Why had she let Ric and Jeremy bother her so much? Then it hit him. Ric and Jeremy were the only ones who still cared, other than Damon. Stefan had left after she turned, she rarely spoke to Bonnie and Caroline, Jenna and her parents were gone. Damon, Ric, and Jeremy were the only three people she had left, of course she cared what they thought.

His first phone call was to Ric, he was sent straight to voice mail "Hey Ric, its Damon. I know you really don't wanna hear this but I really do love Elena. I promise to take care of her and protect her from anything. Please call me." he clicked the end button.

Now he called Jeremy, who actually picked up. "Listen dick, I don't want to hear shit about you and my sister right now." he said.

"Jeremy, I wanted to apologize to you."

"For what?"

"I should have asked you before I proposed to her, and I didn't. I fucked that up, and I'm sorry. But youve gotta know that I love her."

"Yeah, I know. I noticed the hickeys on the both of you."

Damon's face turned bright red, he could have sworn they were covered. "I mean it Jeremy. I would do anything to protect her or see her smile. You know that."

"I know man, I just don't see why you guys can't wait a few years."

"Why should we? We're gonna live forever Jer. We might as well enjoy all of it together. I mean look at those old married couples. 50 years, and they're so happy. I figure the sooner I marry Lena, the sooner we can be like that."

"If you guys are gonna live forever, can't you just wait a few years?"

"I have waited over a hundred and fifty years for a girl like your sister. I really can't wait any longer." Damon was getting upset now. What difference was a few years? Why did Jeremy care?

"Alright man, I get it. If you two think you're ready, I say go for it."

Damon and Jeremy said their goodbyes, and got off the phone. "Do I call Lena and tell her we got Jeremy's approval, or try Ric again?" He decided to try Ric again, this way if he got Ric's approval, he could give Elena a bigger surprise.

The phone actually rang this time, and a very drunk Alaric answered the phone. "Heeellllllooooo?" he cooed into the phone.

"Ric, sober up. It's Damon. Dude, your gonna lose your job at the school, you're like borderline alcoholic. Anyway, I wanted to talk about me and Elena."

"Damon, not now please. Can we talk in the morning?"

"I really want to talk about it now, I've got a crying girl at home who tried to kill herself today."

"Okay, well in that case, I give you two my blessing. I flipped, and I'm sorry. I was kinda hung over and I was just really shocked. You two are so young. Well I mean she is. But if you guys think you're ready, why not? I mean I'm not the best example for dream relationships...we've got dead Isobel, dead Jenna, crazy Meredith. Anyway, do what makes you guys happy." Ric said before hanging up the phone.

Damon didn't know what to think, Ric had been so upset earlier, and now he was totally okay with a wedding? He actually gave them their blessing.

Damon drove home as fast as he could to tell Elena the good news, only to find a note on the bed. The note said, "I went out. Maybe I'll be back later."

He had really fucked up, hadn't he. He called her phone, and luckily she picked up.  
"What do you want?" she answered. This wasnt going to be a fun night, then again he might get angry sex. Or makeup sex.

"I want to talk to the love of my life, and apologize for being an asshole, then share some really awesome news with her."

"Really? Who's the love of your life Damon? Rose? Because I went out to a bar to cool off, and I found one of Rose's old friends who thought I was Katherine. Nice chat we had." she sounded beyond pissed, he was scared.

"Lena, its not what you think."

"Don't Lena me. You're telling me that you didn't propose to her? That if she didn't reject you then die, you two wouldn't be married right now?"

"I did propose to her, she couldn't commit. That was so long ago, then when she came back to town, we kinda re explored the option. I was going to propose but then one of the dogs bit her. I'm sorry. I'm over her. Thats why I never told you, because I'm over it."

"Thats why you never told me? Or you never told me because you were too much of a coward? Damon, I can't be playing games with you. How do I know you haven't been lying to me any other times?"

"Dammit Elena! I wasn't lying! I just didn't tell you! I'm really not the whole emotional talk about feelings kind of guy! Listen, please just come home so we can talk about this."

"Home? I don't live with you."

"Please come over. Do you need me to pick you up? You sound a little tipsy."

"Pick me up at the corner of go fuck yourself avenue and leave me alone boulevard. I mean, thats where the rest of your whores stand, on corners, right?" she sarcastically said before hanging up.

Damon was so beyond hurt. Why couldn't anyone just forget his past? It was over, he wasn't proud of it, but he changed. Hell, he made heart shaped pancakes this morning! He unlocked the front door and collapsed onto his bed, hoping Elena would come in soon.

**There you have it! A bit of a rough patch, are they rushing into marriage? Hope you enjoyed! Leave your reviews, thoughts, suggestions, edits, and such! Thanks for reading!**


	15. Chapter 15: The apology

Damon never fell asleep, he just layed on his bed, thinking of all he had done wrong. He should have cleaned up his act the day he met Elena. He should have dropped the whores, and loved her from the start, like Stefan did. Stefan. Damon now thought about his brother, whom he had actually grown to miss. The empty bedroom was now taunting him, and he found himself standing by Stefan's desk, staring at his picture of Katherine. She had started it all, and to this day Damon still wasn't sure if he loved her or hated her for it.

At 4:13 he heard a noise in the driveway. He listened as he heard Elena's familiar heels walking towards the door, breathing a sigh of relief as she walked into the house. She kicked off her heels with a lot of cursing, it sounded like she fell in the process. She stumbled up the stairs and found her way to Damon's bed. The moment she landed, she mumbled "Nope." and walked to his bathroom. She made no effort to close the door as she vomited. Damon smirked, he had been there before. He slowly walked over and held her hair back. When she was finally done, she immediately brushed her teeth. "Damon." she whispered.

He simply shook his head. "You're pretty wrecked. Lets get you to bed, I'll sleep in the guest room. We can talk in the morning." He helped her to bed before closing the door, ignoring her requests that he stay. He didn't want there to be any chance of them having sex tonight, not while she was like this. He wanted her forgiveness, and he knew he would never get it if he took advantage of her condition.

It was now 10 am, Damon had been awake for 3 hours reading in the living room. Elena walked down the stairs and began to search the cabinets for coffee. "Coffees already on the counter. Heat it up a little." he said without looking up.

"Jesus Damon, no need to be so loud." she nearly whispered as she put her mug in the microwave.

"That bad?" he asked. She simply nodded before he spoke again. "Tylenol in the cabinet, blood in the fridge. Perfect cure for hangovers."

"Thank you" she mumbled, following his instructions. Once she had taken the pills and drank the blood she sat across from him with her coffee. She had changed into pajamas, a neon pink camisole with blue, green, and pink short shorts. Damon was struggling to restrain himself from taking her right then and there. Her toned golden legs seemed to go on for miles, her waist was so small and delicate.

"Name the poison." he commanded, still reading his book.

"Vodka, tequila, bourbon, and a splash of I don't even know. They told me it was the Salvatore Special. I'm guessing it wasnt Stefan." she spoke flatly.

Damon turned bright red, this didn't make him look too good. "It was like a one time thing. On a dare." he tried to defend himself.

"Alright, can we just get to the real stuff?" she asked. "Rose. What really went on. I think you told me, but I don't remember much."

Damon sighed, closing the book and dropping it with a soft thud. "Well, I met her in the early 1900s. I was a baby back then. I met her, and fell for her hard. We dated for about a year before I got the balls to propose to her. She didn't say anything. She just got up and left. I didn't see her again until this year. It was over a hundred years ago, and there were still unresolved feelings. So we slept together, because we didn't when we dated. That was like so frowned upon then, she would have been called a whore, and I didn't want that. Because I loved her and respected her. Anyway, we slept together and went out to eat a few times, it was never serious. Then one night she brought up my old proposal. We had a good laugh before I reminded her she never answered me. And she told me she still didn't know. That was the night before the bite." The sadness in his eyes was visible as he told the story.

"Then, you weren't sure about marrying me anymore. And I got pissed. And I'm sorry. I've had a long time to go out, be crazy, be stupid, and you haven't. I get it if you're not ready to commit." he finally looked at her. She was in tears.

"Damon, I'm sorry." she stood up, walked across the room and sat down, positioning herself on his lap. She turned to look at him, and said "There is no one else I would rather marry than you. I'll go out with you. We'll be crazy together. We're already stupid."

God, this girl was perfect. Damon didn't say anything, he just kissed her. He kissed her like it was his last day on earth, his lips crashing onto hers. He played with her hair as she tousled his. He slowly pulled back, saying "I forgive you. But you're gonna need to put that ring back on before I die. Its seriously bothering me that it's not there. I can't do this if you're not wearing that ring. That is all you need to wear." he said completely seriously.

Elena laughed, running upstairs. She picked up her clutch, digging around in the bag until she found the ring. She slipped it on her finger, and looked at her hand for a minute, admiring it's beauty. She slipped her shorts and her cami off, then went into Damon's closet. She put on one of his dress shirts, buttoning the middle button only. She then put a loose tie around her neck before skipping down the stairs.

"Shit Elena. You know I love when you" he tried to speak, but suddenly she was back on his lap, silencing him with her mouth. "Wait!" he said pulling away. "I didn't tell you the best part."

"And what would that be?" she asked.  
"We got Ric and Jeremy's blessing."

Elena began to cry, she was so happy. She had the approval of the people she loved most. She laid her head on Damon's chest, smiling like never before. The three people that mattered most were all happy, and that made her happy. She took Damon's hand and intertwined it with her own. "Movie day?" she asked.

He nodded, "DVD's are in the cabinet under the TV. Pick whatever you want."

Elena crouched down, browsing through the expansive library. She burst into laughter, turning around saying, "Damon Salvatore! Are you a softie?" holding up The Notebook.

Damon jumped up, stealing the movie from her. He threw it across the house, "Of course not! Thats totally not mine! You probably left it here!" he spoke quickly, clearly lying. He picked up Grease, and lightly tapped her head with it. "Put it in, we're watching it."

"Damn Salvatore, we're seriously watching a 60's musical..." she trailed off while setting their movie up.

"50's honey." he corrected her. As the starting credits rolled on, he started singing incredibly off-key.

Elena put a pillow over her head, groaning "Is this what I have to look forward to for the next two hours?"

"Well, we could do this." he unbuttoned the dress shirt she was wearing.

Elena laughed, giving in and pulling her arms out of the sleeves.

**Aww okay pretty much a short cutsie filler chapter, big stuff coming soon though!**

**Thanks for reading, following, and favoriting! Leave reviews, suggestions or whatever!**  
**XOXO**  
**Kay :***


	16. Chapter 16: The teaser

*About 6 months later*

"Lena, would you just calm down? Its going to be beautiful." Damon said, pulling her towards him from behind. He tried to kiss her neck, but she wriggled out of his grasp.

"Damon, I don't have time right now. I have to go to the tailor and get your tux, Ric's tux, and Jer's tux. Then my dress." she was combing through her hair with her fingers, as she always did when she was stressed.

"No, I have to go do all of that. You just have to relax."

"Damon, I swear to God. If you so much think about looking at that dress, I will kill you in the middle of the night." she threatened. She had worked so hard this whole time to hide her dream dress from him, she wanted at least something to be traditional.

"Wow, I cannot wait until this is over and I can have her back." Damon mumbled as he walked towards the door.

"I heard that!" Elena called from the kitchen.

"That was kinda the point!" Damon called back before leaving to go to the tailors.

The minute he got in the car, he reached for the zipper on the dress bag. He just wanted a quick peek. She would kill him though. As he contemplated opening the bag, he heard a tap on his car window. He turned around to see the one person who could ruin this joyous time. Stefan.

**Okay so pretty much a teaser chapter. Hope you didnt get too excited. I'm aware that this is kinda mean, but Im not sorry. So sorry not sorry, sweet dreams and pink ice creams guys.**

**XOXO**

**Kay**


	17. Chapter 17: The news

Damon stepped out of his car, facing his younger brother.

"Well! Why didn't I get an invitation? I thought I would be your best man!" Stefan sarcastically exclaimed.

"I swear to God, if you fuck up this wedding, you are dead. I don't know who will kill you first, me or Lena, but either way you are dead." Damon growled.

"Wow Damon, defensive over your little girlfriend. That's cute. I just wanted to come see my brother tie the knot. With my ex. Whats wrong with that?" Stefan asked.

"The problem with that is that Elena doesn't want you here. She never wants to see you again, and you know that. You're obviously here with an agenda, and you need to tell me whats on that agenda."

"Well,lets go home and talk about it together, the three of us. I assume Elena's there?"

Damon nodded uneasily, and agreed to meet Stefan at the house. He went well above the speed limit, needing to get there before Stefan did, so he could warn Elena. Luckily, he made it and ran through the front door, mentally preparing himself for her fit.

"Lena!" he screamed into the house.

"Damon! I'm up here, I need your help, come up!" she screamed, with worry in her voice.

Damon sprinted up the stairs, running as fast as he could. He found Elena trapped underneath his bookshelf. He pulled it off of her, "What the hell? How did this happen? And you couldn't lift his yourself? Why didn't you call me?" he pummeled her with questions.

She was still sitting on the floor, her face tear stained. "I was trying to re arrange the room and surprise you. I've been all stressed and bitchy, and I just wanted to do something nice and I'm sorry-" she burst into tears again.

Damon helped her up, hugging her, when he remembered Stefan was on his way. "Hey, hey Lena its okay. Its fine. You've been perfect." he kissed her forehead. "We can talk later, but right now you're gonna want to change out of sweats and pull yourself together."

"Why?" she sniffled.

"Well, um, I don't know how to break it to you. Stefan's back. And he wanted to talk to the both of us." He closed his eyes, not wanting to see the look of anger on her face. Just as he finished his sentence, he heard the front door creak open. Stef had never quite managed to time anything nicely. Elena stood in shock, and her lip began to quiver, a sign that more tears were coming. "Shhh, no no no, don't cry Lena. We'll be okay. It'll be fine, I promise." he tried to relax her. "I'll go downstairs, you just come down whenever you're ready."

She nodded, and waited till he left the room to break. She cried for 2 minutes straight before she could pull herself together. She slipped on a pair of jeans and a sweater, touched up her makeup, and started for the stairs.

She found the brothers in the kitchen, sitting diagonally from each other at the table. She sat across from Stefan, but next to Damon. "Stefan." she nodded at him.

"Elena, congratulations. I am so thrilled for you two." He said sarcastically.

"Stefan. I'm getting married in two days. Two freaking days. I don't have time for you being an ass right now." she said as she stood up, ready to leave the table.

"Alright alright sit, I'm sorry. I really am happy that each of you found someone though. I mean I wish it wasnt eachother, but its nice to know you two wont be alone for eternity." his voice had a slight tone of sincerity now, and Elena sat back down to actually listen.

"Why are you here?" she asked.

"Well, I wanted to talk to you guys about a couple of things. For starters, I killed Klaus."  
Elena and Damon's jaws dropped in unison.

"You what?!" Damon roared, now standing. "Stupid, stupid, stupid, half brain dead moron! You could have killed Elena! And us!"

"But he didn't!" Elena quietly rejoiced from her seat, pulling on Damon's hand, willing him to sit back down. "He didn't, we're all still alive, and Klaus isn't. This is amazing.

"Details. Now." Damon commanded.

"So obviously I was on a ripper binge, Elena, can we talk later by the way, just you and I?" he slipped his question in subtly. Elena quickly nodded, not wanting anyone to be fighting. "Great. Okay so I was rippering away in Chicago?" his voice raised as he said the name of the city, as if he were unsure. "Yep, it was Chicago. Anyway, I bumped into Becks there." Damon put his hands in the air, giving Stefan a judgemental look. "And as you know, she has a thing for ripper me." he chuckled, then paused, seemingly reminiscing.

"Get to the point." Damon reminded him.

"Wow okay jeez, guy leaves for six months and brother has no questions about his love life. So anyway, me and Rebekah were living it up, and she actually moved in with me. Then she came home one night, bawling. And then she just stopped crying. And she told me absolutely everything. And we found a witch we used to know, who helped break the lineage thing. Then we got vampire barbie to come seduce him, which worked like a charm, and bam, we got him with the white oak stake."

Elena started crying, though she wasnt sure why. "Caroline knew? And she didn't tell us?" she turned to look to Damon.

"Shh, we can deal with that later. So Klaus is dead which means Lenas safe and no more hybrids, your coping with me and Elena being a thing, and your with Sexy Becks?" Damon asked.

"Yeah, pretty much." Stefan responded.

"And hows the addict in you?"

Stefan laughed, "I've started to learn a little more balance, I do the human stuff again, but I'm a bit more in control. What a difference though! So much more pep in my step!"

Damon and Stefan walked into the living room, catching up as if nothing had happened. Elena smirked, they were unbelievable. They fought like dogs, but they always found their way back to each other. She watched them from the kitchen, this is what she had always wanted. She wanted the two of them to actually be brothers, and nothing made her happier than to see it happening. After an hour, she started to make dinner for the three of them. Five minutes in, they both came in, taking over everything she had been doing. "Wow guys, is my cooking really that bad?" she asked.

Neither brother said anything for a moment, but Damon whispered "We can't be good at everything Lena." The three of them laughed and she sat back down, watching them cook.

After everything had been cleaned up, they had settled in to watch a basketball Damon fell asleep Elena nudged Stefan and nodded towards his room upstairs. Stefan nodded, and the two of them went into the room in silence. She shut the door behind them, and turned to face him.

"I'm sorry." he said as he looked into her eyes. She could tell that he really meant it, and she nodded. "You didn't deserve anything that I said to you the last time I saw you. And you didn't deserve to be left alone in that hospital room. But Damon stayed. And he deserves someone like you."

Elena felt tears threatening to break free. "Stefan, I really love him. And he loves me." she said, her voice quivering.

"I know. Everyone knew. We all denied it, but you two were always a couple. The day of the Miss Mystic Falls dance, we all figured it out. Everyone but you two knew. And I'm really happy that you two finally figured it out. Do I wish it was me marrying you? Absolutely. But you two are practically made for each other."

Elena was crying now, she hugged Stefan tight, whispering "Thank you" over and over again in his ear. "So is Rebekah gonna be your plus one to the wedding?" she asked, pulling out of the hug.

Stefan smiled, "If we're invited, then yes."

Elena laughed, "Of course you guys are invited! I've always liked Rebekah, I mean aside from her trying to kill me and all. I think she was just lost, and I'm glad she has you now. And shes teaching you control?"

Stefan nodded, "She is. And when Klaus died, I remembered everything from the twenties." He smiled. "I'm really happy with her Lena. Turns out I always was."

"I'm glad." They walked back down the stairs, catching up on the last few months of each other's lives. Damon was now awake, and turned around to face them.

"Aww, you two made up?" he practically sang across the room.

"Cant have a bad relationship with my sister-in-law, now can I?" Stefan asked, smiling.

The three sat together and talked about their plans all night, until they decided to go to bed. Elena laid in Damon's arms, thinking about how perfectly everything had turned out. Then she felt a tug on her shorts. She flipped herself over, whisper-screaming, "Really Damon? Your brother is right across the hall!"

"I had to listen to you two like so many times. And it didn't sound too good to be honest." he responded.

Elena hit him with a pillow before Stefan called, "I'm not asleep yet either you know!" causing Elena to turn bright red.

"I'm sure your delightful in the bedroom brother!" Damon called into the hallway.

Elena burst into peals of laughter, when Stefan asked, "Who's better Lena?" in a joking tone.

"Oh my God! I am not having this conversation!" she shouted, getting out of bed. She laughed harder and walked into the guest bedroom, closing the door behind her. "I actually need sleep!"she screamed through her laughter as she tried to fall asleep.

**Okay so this chapter just makes me aww! I dont hate Stefan! I just dont think him and Elena should be together! Obviously I'm a Stebekah shipper, and I hope you guys liked this chapter! I really enjoyed writing it! Expect a delena wedding in the next week or so! Prepare your feels!**  
**Leave comments, reviews, suggestions and stuffies for me to read!**

**XOXO,**  
**Kay :** 3**


	18. Chapter 18: The parties

It was noon on the Thursday before their Saturday wedding. The final fittings had been done, every order had been confirmed, and it seemed like they would have the perfect day.

"C'mon Damon! One night! You'll have all day Friday and Saturday morning to sober up! Bekah will keep Lena company, they can bake cookies or whatever they do. One more night out! You, Me, Ric, and Jeremy." Stefan pleaded with his brother.

"But Stef, Elena's not staying over tomorrow night, which means tonight's my last night with her!" Damon groaned.

"So?! You'll come home!" Stefan paused. "Eventually!"

"Let me talk to Elena about it."

Elena came down the stairs at that moment, "Talk to me about what?" she asked.

"Well, Stefan wants me-" Damon was cut off by his brother.

"Damon over here needs a night out Lena. He cooks dinner for you practically every night, and then you two snuggle and just you have him whipped.. Let me take him out. I'll have him home by 5 am tomorrow, and he'll be sober before the wedding. I promise." Stefan assured Elena.

Elena looked at Damon, who was subtly shaking his head no, with his eyes wide open, urging her to deny Stefan permission

"No girls. Whatsoever. I mean it. If either one of you come home smelling like perfume or I see lipstick, I will move to London by myself." she threatened

"Of course not. Ric and Jeremy are coming. And Rebekah said she would come hang with you, if you wanted. Maybe invite Caroline and Bonnie?" Stefan said.

"You have my blessing." She smiled.

Damon groaned. "I don't want to go!" He whined.

"Oh well!" Elena and Stefan said in unison.

"But I'm gonna miss you." he looked at Elena, giving her the "smolder".

"No! Don't use the eyes on me! It wont work! I have some last minute stuff to do, I want you out of the house anyway. Come on Damon, its a bachelor party. Go out, enjoy the remainder of your unmarried life!" she urged.

Damon rolled his eyes, grumbling "This is so stupid." before walking out.

"Wow, since when do I beg him to go out, and he broods?" Stefan asked.

Elena laughed, then went to go talk to Damon, obviously something was wrong.

He was at his desk, writing furiously.

Elena leaned in the doorway, and softly said, "Hey, do you want to talk?"  
Damon looked up, quickly shook his head, and went back to his writing. Elena walked behind his chair, draping herself over his shoulders. "What are you writing about?" she asked.

"Vows." he mumbled, barely acknowledging her presence.

She began to play with his raven hair, and whispering sweet nothings in his ear. He kept writing, and she walked in front of the desk. She slowly started pushing his papers off the desk, like a child. "Lena" he sighed.

"What?" she asked in a mock innocent voice, now pushing off a lamp. She sat on the desk, pulling her legs up with her.

"You're so mean to me." Damon said, now standing up, leaning in to kiss her.

She kissed him gently, saying "I know". She imitated his signature smirk as best she could, before slowly walking out of the room.

"I don't get it! We have so much sex, then the week before the wedding, we stop?" he called after her.

"I know, but I want the white dress to mean something!" she said, emphasizing the last word.

"Oh my God! You guys are like horny teenagers!" Stefan screamed from downstairs.

"Oh please! Like you and Rebekah aren't bunnies on crack!" Damon screamed back.

"Oh, we are! But we don't advertise it!" Stefan responded.

"Boys! Stop fighting!" Elena yelled, causing the house to shake with laughter. Elena shook her head as she was looking over the seating chart one last time. Sometimes, she felt like their mother. She was still wondering who else to put at the table with her cousins.

She picked up her phone, and dialed the familiar number. "Caroline?" she said when it finally stopped ringing.

"Yeah, whats up?"

"I miss you! I feel like we never talk anymore. Anyway, I need some help with a few last minute wedding plans, and the boys are going out tonight. So I was thinking a girls night in? Me, you, Bon, and Becks?" Elena crossed her fingers, hoping she'd agree.

"Becks? As in Rebekah? Mikaelson?" Caroline asked.

"Yeah, I'll explain later. And tell Tyler he's more than welcome to go with the boys tonight." she heard Stefan and Damon discussing this, one negative of living with 2 vampires, there was rarely any privacy.

"Alright, I'll be over at 6, and I'll let Ty and I'm about to go see Bonnie now, so I'll let her know too" Caroline said before hanging up the phone.

Hours later, Damon was getting out of the shower. He was still grumbling about having to go, and Elena didn't know why.

"Just go! It'll be fun!" She encouraged him.

"Yeah, but now there are four girls alone in my house with my vintage alcohol, and my furniture-"

She cut him off, "Oh shut up, we'll be fine. I'll only break the chandelier, thats it." she smiled at him.

When the boys had finally left, the girls started coming. Caroline came first, and her and Elena caught up. Bonnie came next, followed by Rebekah.  
Damon sat quietly at his bar stool, texting Elena.

Damon: This is so boring. Rescue me.  
Elena: Stop complaining! Have fun!  
Damon: But your not here! How can I have fun without you?  
Elena: Oh please, you can have plenty of fun, especially without your wifey.  
Damon: I like that, you being my wifey.  
Elena: And I like you being my hubby. We're almost there. Now go be reckless before we make it official.  
Damon: Noooo! Don't stop responding!  
Elena: This is Caroline. Stop texting her! It'll be worth it! Now go get drunk Salvatore!

Damon hoped blondie was right, he put his phone away. Him and Ric made small talk all night, about Meredith, and school. He talked to Jeremy about college, and he reminisced with Stefan. Damon had never really gotten along with Tyler, but they had a nice chat. He looked at his watch, it was already 2 am. He asked Stefan for permission to go home, saying he would walk. Stefan rolled his eyes before agreeing. "You're no fun anymore." he said. Damon nodded and walked out of the bar. He walked to the cemetery, to his parent's headstone. It was faded, the stone was over 100 years old, but he could still see the name "SALVATORE" written on the top.

He talked to his parents, telling them about Elena. He talked mainly to his mother, he had never gotten along with his father. After an hour, he went home to his girl. He found her passed out one couch, Caroline on another, Bonnie on the floor, and Rebekah in the kitchen. At least someone had a fun night, he thought. He picked Elena up, and carried her up the stairs to their bed. He tucked her in before climbing into bed next to her. The next time they slept in the same bed, it would be the beginning of his forever, with her.

**So theres chapter 18!**  
**Leave reviews, comments, suggestions and thank you for following and favoriting! If you have any ideas for a new story you would want me to write, let me know!**


	19. Chapter 19: Daddy issues

Elena woke up, rubbing her eyes that were adjusting to the bright light streaming in from the windows. She didn't remember coming in here, she could have sworn she slept in the living room with the girls last night. Then she recognized the strong arms around her, Damon must've carried her up. She slowly ducked out of his grip, turning to face him. She loved watching him sleep, despite how creepy it sounded. The bed creaked as she moved, causing her to wince. She was trying so hard not to wake him. "This would be so much more fun if we were naked." he grumbled. She laughed, he was really struggling with this no sex thing.

"One more day." she whispered. "One more day!" she repeated, now sitting up in a panic.  
"Damon! In one more day we're gonna be married!" now she was nearly shouting, and he wasn't sure if it was excitement or panic. He sat up, wrapping his arms back around her, restraining his laughter. He loved watching her get so worked up over the little things.

"I know, I've been counting down," he said, twirling her hair in his fingers. "I've been around awhile, and I have never been this anxious for something."

She smiled, it always made her feel better knowing he was just as excited as she was. "I just hope its a good day, I don't want anything to go wrong." she gazed up at him as she spoke.

"It'll be perfect, I promise." he whispered. "So lets talk about your night. Because when I came home, nearly sober, I found my fiance passed out across the couch, Barbie on another, Witchy on the floor, and Stefan's Barbie on my kitchen table."

Elena laughed, "Well, it started out as doing seating arrangements with some wine. And it ended with us making videos of me running. And at one point I was sitting in your bathtub, on the verge of tears...I just kept saying how much I loved it. Jeremy and Tyler brought the girls home?" Damon nodded.

"And Stefan took blondie into his room. Very loudly. And I couldn't fall asleep. Those two are very passionate." He said, blinking rapidly. He spoke as if it were a traumatic experience, and Elena laughed at how childish he was being. "Lena, we need to kick them out." he said.

"Damon! We can't! This is just as much Stefan's house as it is yours. If he wants to have sex with Rebekah, he can." she spoke very matter-of-factly.

"Oh can he? Because when I want to have sex with you, I can't!" he exclaimed, before pushing the hair off of her neck, kissing it slowly.

"Damon," she breathed before pushing him off of her.

"You're so mean." he mumbled, sliding back down on the bed.

"I know." she smirked. "But anyways, maybe we should look for another house. We can live anywhere Damon. I don't want to go to school. I have eternity for that. We can travel the world together. Or we could just live in New York, there is absolutely nothing keeping me here."

"New York? Dump. I hate it there. You wouldn't like it. I could see you enjoying L.A., its beautiful."

"Then take me there." she commanded.

"I will, after the honeymoon."

"You still haven't told me, where exactly is this honeymoon you're planning for us?" she asked.

"You still haven't had sex with me, so that information is classified. You break your end, I'll break mine."

"You're so mean, Damon."

"I know." he smirked, imitating her.

Elena began to swing her legs off the bed. "We should probably get up, I have to freak out about the wedding." she said nonchalantly.

"Yeah, I have to calm you down all day because its gonna be perfect." he responded in the same tone as he climbed off the bed.

They walked down the stairs together, and began making breakfast together. Upstairs, Stefan and Rebekah had woken up. "Dear God. They are passionate." Elena whispered, knowing they could probably hear her.

"I know right? We weren't like that... were we?" Damon asked.

"I sure as hell hope not...cause then I hate us." she replied. They sat down and started eating, just as the two of them came down the stairs.

"Good morning!" Rebekah's accent rang through the house.

"Hey lovebirds." Damon greeted them, earning a kick under the table from Elena.

"Good morning guys. There's food on the counter if you want it." Elena said, glaring at Damon.

"Oh please, you two are no better. Damon, you're pathetic. You know she's not gonna sleep with you until tomorrow night, but you still try every night. And you get rejected, every night." Stefan shot back.

Rebekah and Elena laughed, Stefan smirked, and Damon rolled his eyes. The four made small talk, before Elena went upstairs to shower and get dressed for the day. Damon told Rebekah and Stefan all he had been planning for their honeymoon, and his ideas had been approved. Rebekah agreed to pack Elena's luggage for her, so the location could remain a secret. She headed upstairs to begin, and all vibes of fun left the room. It was now Damon and Stefan alone, the seriousness was hanging in the air, clouding them. "Are you sure you're ready for this?" Stefan asked a final time.

Damon nodded, "I was ready the minute-" he said, stopping himself short. He knew his brother was still hurt that Elena had left him, and Damon didn't want to emphasize that he loved his brother's girl from day one. Stefan nodded. He reached into his pocket, pulling out a small velvet bag.

"This is dad's watch. I think you should have it." Stefan said, inching it across the table.

Damon picked up the watch, studying it, before throwing it at the wall. Stefan flinched, and before he could say anything, Damon screamed, "He never cared about me! He wouldn't want me to have it! He would have wanted you to have it golden boy! I served in the fucking war while you stayed home fucking Katherine, but it still wasn't enough! That man despised me, because Mom didn't get sick until I went through my rebel phase!" Damon's voice began to crack as he spoke of his mother.

Elena came bouncing down the stairs, after hearing that. She didn't know what to say, so she simply held him. Stefan mouthed " I'm sorry" to her, but she just nodded. She was grateful that Damon could get this out of his system now rather than tomorrow, she didn't need a stressed groom.

"Lena, follow me." Damon said, in barely more than a whisper, walking out of the house with his car keys in hand. They walked to the Camaro together, and Elena sat in the passenger seat. Damon drove down the familiar roads, until he reached the gates of Mystic Falls Cemetery. Elena cocked an eyebrow, and Damon said "I think its about time you met my parents."


	20. Chapter 20: The past

Elena followed Damon, walking slowly into the forest. She could see her own parent's grave to her left, but didn't go over. This was about Damon and his parents. She watched as he sat down next to a modest headstone. She could barely make out the faded name "Salvatore" etched across the top of the gray stone. She noticed 2 more lines of writing, though she couldn't read them she knew it was the first names of his mother and father. Damon looked at the headstone, whispering "Here she is."

Elena sat down next to him, wrapping her arms around him as best she could. "Would they have liked me?" she asked.

Damon pondered the question before finally answering, "My mother would have. My father wouldn't have allowed you to be so stupid, or me so selfish." Elena was clearly puzzled at the response, "He would have pushed you back to Stefan." Damon explained. "He didn't think I deserved happiness. Nothing I did was right. Stefan was always the better kid."

"What were you saying before, about your rebel phase?" Elena asked, referring to his fight with Stefan.

Damon chuckled, "It all started when the war did. All of my friends had been going off to war, and my parents were making me stay home and get an education. I was supposed to be a lawyer. I started failing my classes, and eventually I just stopped going. I ran away, and signed up to fight for the Confederacy. I came back after two months, to visit the family and all in between battles. My mother was so sick, and nobody knew how to help her. So we had to watch her die. And the day she was buried, my father told me how disgusted he was with me. He knew she never would have allowed it, so he waited till she was gone. It was right over there actually." Damon pointed to a small clearing, not far from where they were sitting. "I'll never forget it. He looked at me, and said 'I have nothing but disappointment for you. Not only did you kill your future, you killed me, your mother, and your brother. He was supposed to marry Katherine, but you found a way to ruin that, didn't you? Getting yourself involved, now she's dead too.' and he stormed off. That was also the night I died. I killed myself, not knowing I had blood in my system left over. So I woke up, and Stef filled me in. He got himself shot that night, and he woke up too. We fed together, on bunnies. Stef stuck with the bunnies while I found my father and killed him." Damon's face was frozen now, his eyes wide open.

"I'm sorry." Elena whispered, now resting her head on his shoulders.

Damon cleared his throat, quickly regaining his composure. "It doesn't matter. Its over, and now I get to have you forever."he said before he kissed her forehead. He stood up, and helped her up. He dusted the dirt off of his own pants, before doing the same to Elena.

She laughed, "You'll take any excuse to touch my ass, won't you?" she asked.

"What! I was just helping you babe!" He said, using a mock innocent voice. "Plus, I can't have the car getting dirty now, can I?" he added as they stepped into the seat. "Want to go anywhere else?" he asked her, igniting the engine to life.

"Yeah, can we go to the Founder's Hall?" she asked.

"Uh, sure." he said, pulling out of the cemetery. "But why?"

"You'll see." Elena replied, a slow smile spreading across her face. When they finally arrived, Elena ran out of the car, to the back. Damon chased after her, and when she turned to face him, she simply said, "I want to go over our first dance one more time."

"Aww, Lena!" he said before putting his hand out to her. They danced, as they had at their first Miss Mystic Falls pageant. "Are you ready?" he asked her.

She responded wordlessly, crashing her lips on his. He picked her up, carrying her to the car like he had done so many times before. "One more day." she groaned as she climbed into the passenger seat. When they returned home, Stefan began to apologize.

"I don't wanna hear it, it's fine Stef." Damon said, patting his brothers back as he walked by.

Elena headed up the stairs, to pack her overnight bag for her old home. All of her belongings had ended up in Damon's room now, but she was staying with Ric and Jeremy tonight. She swept back down the stairs nearly an hour later, with her bag in tow. She left it at the landing, and went into the office where she found Damon at his desk. She hugged him, kissing his cheek. "I'll see you tomorrow" he whispered.

"I'll be the one in white." she responded. They laughed as she called her goodbyes up the stairs to Rebekah and Stefan, who had been in their room for the past half hour. "Have fun with that." she said, pointing to Stefan's door.

Damon rolled his eyes, "We are so kicking them out." he mouthed. He kissed her one more time, before watching her pull out of the driveway.


	21. Chapter 21: The big day

Elena woke up, the sun streaming into her bedroom. She was ecstatic that the day had arrived, but filled with panic when she realized it was already 9:15, when she had been hoping to get up at 8:00. She glided down the stairs, only to see Caroline, Bonnie, Vicky Donovan, Alaric and Jeremy sitting in her living room. She also noticed a brunette sitting next to her brother who she didn't recognize, who introduced herself as Anna, she was Jeremy's new girlfriend. Caroline shot up from the couch, running towards Elena, screaming "Happy wedding day!" before pulling her into a typical Caroline embrace- too tight. When Elena had gotten through all her hellos, she finally ate her breakfast, then headed upstairs for a shower.

Damon had woken up at about 7:00 that morning, he bounced down the stairs before running back up. He burst through his brother's door, practically singing "Todays the day Stef!" before skipping out of the room. Stefan groaned, and Rebekah resisted the urge to snap Damon's neck, but they were glad to see him happy. Damon found himself inching closer and closer towards his phone, and finally sent Elena a quick text at 10:30, although he promised not to.

Damon: Todays the day! How are you feeling?  
Elena: Damon! No communication!  
Damon: Yeah, thats why you responded Gilbert.  
Elena: Ugh, do I really wanna marry you?  
Damon: Its a little late now hun (;  
Elena: I'll see you later, I have to start getting ready.  
Damon: Ugh, wear sweats and a ponytail, you'll look great.  
Elena: I did not spend hours trying on dresses for nothing.  
Damon: Hours? Really?  
Elena: GOODBYE DAMON  
Damon: Bye Miss Gilbert! Or should I say Mrs. Salvatore?

He smirked at his phone, though he hoped she wasn't getting too stressed.

Elena was now in the passenger seat of her car. Caroline was driving, and Elena's dress was in the backseat with the rest of her wedding party. When they finally arrived at the hotel, Elena was checked in immediately. As she walked into her room, she sighed out of relief. So far everything was going the way it should. Moments later, a hairstylist walked into the room. Elena asked that her hair not be too curly, because she didn't want anyone thinking of Katherine, not today. Her makeup was simple, but beautiful.

After a few hours of primping she found herself in a limousine with her crew. Jeremy and Alaric had gone to check on Damon, and Elena found herself getting giddy. When she stepped out of the limo she was greeted by her little brother, who helped her up the stairs of the church. When they got in, everybody lined up. Alaric made his way over, hooking his left arm through Elena's right, as Jeremy hooked his right arm through Elena's left. The music started and it was finally happening. She stood in the doorway of the church, where she could see Damon at the end of the long aisle. Stefan was on his left, as the best man. Jeremy and Alaric would soon join the brothers, as they were groomsmen. Caroline took her place on the other side of the altar, followed by Bonnie, Rebekah, and Vicky.

Elena floated down the aisle to Damon, who appeared to be shocked. His eyes were wide, and a smile slowly crept onto his face. Their ceremony seemed to take forever, and Damon was getting impatient. Finally they were able to exchange rings. Nothing could make Damon happier, he was now beaming. When the officiator said "You may now kiss the bride" Damon didn't hesitate. As his lips met hers, he could feel her smiling. He swept her off of her feet, carrying her out of the church. Elena was hysterically laughing, as was the rest of their audience.

"We're married!" Elena was giddily screaming.

"I know right!" Damon shouted back before kissing her yet again. He set her down and noticed she was crying. He laughed, pulling her into an embrace.

"I've just never been this happy and-" Elena choked out.

"I know, I know." Damon whispered into her hair, now kissing the top of her head. Their guests began to trickle out of the church onto the sidewalk where they were standing. Elena pulled away from Damon, wiping her face.

"Now my makeups all screwed up." she said, still smiling.

"You look perfect, Mrs. Salvatore." Damon said with his signature smirk across his face. Elena squealed at the mention of her new name, she was bouncing like a child. Each of them were swept away by family and friends to greet everyone and accept congratulations. After an hour or so they finally found themselves back at the hotel. Elena was rushing around making sure everything at the reception was in place, and it was. In about an hour the guests would be here, so in the meantime Damon and Elena had their pictures taken. They posed for what seemed like a thousand pictures, and finally the party began.

As they danced, Elena found herself soaring in the skies of Damon's eyes. "So, we dance without any threats of violence," he whispered, snapping Elena out of her trance.

"I dunno, you haven't seen drunk Bonnie yet." Elena replied nodding to the witch at the bar

Damon laughed, and their song slowly faded into another one. Their guests now joined them on the dance floor Stefan made his way over, hugging Elena. "Welcome to the family, sis" he said, smiling.

Elena laughed, "So whens the next Salvatore wedding?" she asked, looking at Rebekah.

Stefan shook his head, now blushing. "Dont know yet, I mean we just got back together..."

Elena was now slapping Stefan's shoulder. "So you admit that it could happen!" she squealed.

Now Stefan's face was a brighter shade of red, "Oh my God, Lena keep it down! Shes a vampire too! She's gonna hear you!"

Elena laughed, looking around the room, trying to remember it because this day was beyond perfect. Only three people were missing, her mother, father, and Jenna. Her eyes now welled up with tears, and she knew she needed a minute. She slowly made her way out of the large room, and rode the elevator to her room. She sat on the bed for a minute, collecting herself.

Damon looked around, noticing that she was gone. He didn't know where she could have gone, when he remembered that the girls had gotten a hotel room to get ready in. He went to the front desk, and in less than a minute he was knocking on her door.


	22. Chapter 22: The big day part two

"Lena? Its me, open up" he called into the smiled, sitting up, trying to stop crying. She slowly walked to the door, and creaked it open. "Hey, hey theres no crying on your wedding day!" he said, hugging her as tight as he could.

Elena let out a small laugh, "I know its just my parents and Jenna, they should be here. Its not fair." she mumbled.

"I know, I know. It never is. But look on the bright side! Look at everyone who is here! And now they're missing the beautiful bride." he said, pulling out of their hug. He kissed her softly before taking her hand. She nodded, wiping the final tears from her face. She put a smile back on her face, before walking into the hallway with him. In the elevator Damon started smirking.

"Whats so funny Salvatore?" Elena asked.

"Oh nothing Salvatore, I was just thinking about tonight."

"We're leaving tonight?" she asked.

Damon nodded, "Dont even ask where we're going, you'll find out soon."

Elena rolled her eyes as they walked back into the party room. She looked at the clock, there were only two more hours left. Although she was having a great time celebrating with everyone, she was anxious to celebrate with Damon.

She danced for about an hour with Caroline and Bonnie before it was time for cake. Now that everyone was sitting, the toasts began. Alaric stood first, tapping his glass with his fork. "I've known Elena and Damon for such a short amount of time, yet I already consider Elena my daughter, and Damon my best friend. I have seen each of them struggle and persevere, and nothing makes me happier than to see them finally relaxing and happy. To the Salvatores!"

Jeremy, Matt, Caroline and Bonnie went on to speak after Ric, but Stefan's speech was by far the most interesting. "So, Damon, my brother has finally tied the knot. Isn't that crazy!" he began, getting a laugh. Rebekah slowly approached him, tapping his shoulder and whispering something in his ear. "Well, my lovely girlfriend informed me that I am indeed intoxicated, and that I should be careful about what I say." he went on. Rebekah shot him daggers as she walked back to her seat, and Damon crossed his fingers, hoping his brother wouldn't ruin this perfect night. "So anyway, Damon, treat her well because Lena deserves it. And Lena, take care of my brother, because he needs a little help now and then, though he won't admit it. And make sure he's happy, because he deserves to be happy. So do you Lena." he slurred. "To DELENA!" he shouted, and everyone joined him. Elena and Damon burst into laughter.

"Delena, huh?" Damon nudged his wife.

Elena laughed in response, mouthing a thank you to Stefan. The last hour of the party seemed to fly by, and before she knew it Elena was taking off her heavy white gown, slipping into something more comfortable.

She put on a pair of black yoga pants, and a new sweatshirt Stefan had gotten her. It was a simple black hoodie with "Married" written in white on the back. He assured her that Damon had an identical one, but his said "Just", so when they stood together it said "Just Married". Although Elena found this incredibly corny and tacky, she was slightly excited to wear it, she wanted the world to know that they were together. She slipped on a pair of moccasins, before Damon emerged out of the bathroom in just his towel. Elena threw his hoodie at him, "Cover up Fabio!" she laughed.

"But whyyyy?" Damon groaned, sounding like a child.

"Oh my God, you are such a hormonal teenager when you want to be. Wait till we get to the honeymoon for heavens sake!" Elena said as he inched closer to her.

Now he was kissing her neck, mumbling "You're so mean to me" in between kisses.

She ducked out of his embrace, smiling. "I know." she said, smirking. She zipped her dress back up and hung it on the hanger. She put the bag over the gown after staring at it one more time. "I think I'm all set." she said to Damon, who was now pulling his sweatshirt over his head.

Damon looked around the room, making sure they hadn't forgotten anything. He slipped on his shoes, and picked up the dress. "Alright, so we'll go to the house, drop this off, get our bags then straight to the airport? Nothing else?" he asked as they walked out of the room.

"Nope, sounds good." Elena replied.

The car ride to the boarding house was about five minutes, and they talked about how amazing their day had been. When they arrived home Stefan and Rebekah were already upstairs. "Bye! See you next week!" Damon called up the staircase.

They walked out of the house, Damon carried Elena's suitcase in his right hand and his own in his left. Elena carried the much lighter carry-on bags. "You know, I'm capable of carrying more than 3 pounds Damon." she said as they walked down the front steps.

"I know, but I'm trying to be chivalrous dammit." he said as he opened the trunk of the camaro.

Elena laughed, "Alrighty then" as she climbed into the front seat.

"Um, Lena you were supposed to let me open the door." he chided.

Elena rolled her eyes, "Just drive." she said with a they arrived at the airport Elena found out that Damon compelled them the best parking spot possible. "This is so wrong Damon" she said as they walked into the airport.

"Then why does it feel oh so right?" he asked, sporting his smirk.

Elena laughed, and after about an hour, they were sitting in first class waiting for take off. "So who did you have to compel for this?" she asked, looking around.

"Miles baby." he responded, raising his eyebrows. "You should probably get some sleep." he said as he wrapped his arms around her. "I mean you probably didn't sleep last night, knowing you were marrying me." he sarcastically added.

She playfully punched him before leaning into his chest, letting herself drift off. Damon played with her hair for about half an hour before he fell asleep, his chin resting on her head, and his arms still around her.

AN:Hey, sorry I havent been leaving you guys notes lately! Anyway, I'm sorry if this isnt interesting anymore, but fun stuff coming soon, promise! Leave reviews and suggestions! Thanks for favoriting/following!

XOXO  
Kay


	23. Chapter 23: The plane ride

Hours later, Elena started to wake up. She opened her eyes to find an already awake Damon looking down at her smiling. "Good morning, Mrs. Salvatore" he said.

"Hey you. Are you ever gonna get tired of calling me that?" she asked.

"Never." he responded. "Do you want anything to eat? Or anyone?" he jokingly asked, getting a laugh out of her.

"You're wicked! Are we almost there?"

"About an hour left. You're gonna love it." He said, now twirling her hair through his fingers.

"I wish you'd just crack and tell me."

"Oh come on, whats one more hour?" he asked.

"60 minutes, which is like 2600 seconds." she sarcastically replied.

"3600 seconds. Damn, you really should have gone back to high school."

"Shut up!" she said, playfully slapping his arm.

They made small talk for a while until the pilot came on the loudspeaker, "Attention all passengers, we are experiencing turbulence, don't be alarmed, but make sure your seatbelts are buckled."

"Shit." Damon whispered sharply.

"Calm down, its out of our control, no use getting upset about it." Elena soothingly said.

"I know I know but still, I just wanted this to be perfect." he said before ordering a bourbon from the stewardess.

"And it is, unless you get moody. Because nobody has fun with moody Damon." Elena said, rubbing his arm. "He sucks." she added.

"You're right."

"Always am" she smirked.

After a few minutes they began to watch a movie, it was a romantic comedy, but neither of them were really paying attention. Damon was having an internal fit, while Elena was thinking about how different her life is now than it was a year ago. She was also thinking about the changes that were yet to come. She wondered if Bonnie and Matt would ever marry, or if Jeremy and Anna would stay together. She thought about the future of everyone around her, and realized that she was frozen, stuck in time. A silent tear fell down her face at the thought of this, and she didn't bother to wipe her face because she knew there would be more. Damon immediately asked her what was wrong. "We're stuck Damon." she simply said.

He was confused at first, when he realized what she meant. He was silent for a minute, before holding her. "I know. I'm sorry." he said, but he really didn't know how to comfort her.

"You know, Bonnie and Matt, they're gonna get married, pop out some babies, have a lawn mower, grow old and die. Jeremy and Anna are gonna do the same thing. But us? We got married, and its just gonna be me and you forever. I'm not complaining, nothing makes me happier than the thought of us together for eternity, but I wish there could be more. A little boy with your smirk, running around causing trouble. And a little girl, chasing him down and lecturing him all the time. We'll never get to see that." she explained.

Damon thought about this, and waves of guilt began to crash over him. "You should have gotten that life." he whispered. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry I forced you to feed. Maybe I should have let you go, I was so selfish. Dammit, why am I so selfish?" the volume of his voice increasing with every word he said.

"Hey, hey, hey, calm down!" she willed. "I'm sorry, forget I brought it up. Lets just have a nice trip, okay?" she asked as she wiped a final tear from her face.

They sat in silence until 30 minutes later when the plane landed. "Welcome to France, my love." Damon said as they exited the plane.

"France?" she asked.

Damon nodded, "What, you don't like France? Cause I'll go buy a ticket somewhere else if you want-" he was cut off with a kiss.

"France is perfect." she said as they walked to the baggage carousel.

"I hope so, this is like one of the only places I've never been."

"Really? You've never been here?" she asked.

"Well no, its the city of love. And I wanted to save it for someone important." he said, wrapping his arm around her waist.

"You're sweet." she said, grabbing her suitcase as he took his.

"I know." he sarcastically said as they walked out of the airport.

**  
As you may have noticed, the chapters are becoming increasingly shorter, and this is mainly because I dont know where else to go. I know I said I had a trick up my sleeve, but its not really working. The story is getting dragged out, and I need to wrap this up soon unfortunately. So if you want to see anything else happen, let me know and maybe I can work it in! Also if you have any ideas for another story, let me know! Thanks for favoriting/following, and please leave reviews!**

**XOXO  
Kay**


	24. Chapter 24: France

The minute they opened the door of their hotel room Elena threw herself face down on the bed. "I am so tired." she groaned into her pillow. Damon ran and bounced onto the bed next to her in a very childlike fashion.

"Okay but we're just sleeping for like five minutes Salvatore." he mumbled into his own pillow. Elena nodded and mumbled something inaudible before falling asleep. They woke up five hours later, to a cursing Damon. "Shit shit shit shit shit! Lena! Lena wake up!" he whispered as he shook her. He was now standing, pleading with her to wake up.

"Oh my God Damon what the hell do you want?" Elena snapped.

"We missed our dinner reservations!" he responded.

"Who cares! We'll get room service later! Lets just sleep!" she said before rolling back over.

"You slept for five hours here and a majority of the plane ride. How are you tired?" he asked.

"I don't know, I mean I just had like the most stressful week of my life, no big deal though." she sarcastically said.

Damon climbed back into the bed, pulling her closer to him and holding her. "Well then Mrs. Salvatore, I guess we're just gonna have to get you relaxed now aren't we?" he seductively whispered into her ear before kissing her neck gently. She snored in response, and Damon had to restrain a laugh. That was so typical of her he thought. He rubbed small circles at the top of her spine, working his way down her back. An hour later she finally began to stir. "Are you done sleeping yet? Because if your not Im gonna have to find a new wife who actually spends time with me." he said.

Elena laughed, "Im done I promise! Let me get dressed then we can go for a walk or something?" she turned her statement into a question halfway through. Damon nodded and Elena ripped open both of their suitcases. "I want to take cute pictures, so throw this on." she said tossing a black button down his way. She took off her sweatshirt, leaving her in a sports bra and her yoga pants.

"Sexy!" Damon shouted across the room before whistling at her. She threw the sweatshirt at his face, laughing. She turned around and changed into a black lace bra before taking off her pants, revealing matching underwear."Oh come on Lena, do we really need to walk?" he asked.

Elena shook her head, smirking because she loved seeing him like this. She slipped into a mint green a line dress, and pulled out a pair of nude pumps. She pulled her hair up into a neat high ponytail and touched up her makeup. "Ready!" she announced.

"You look absolutely stunning." Damon sputtered out after a minute of staring at her. He couldn't believe he had finally married her, and that something had gone right for him for the first time in his life. He quickly regained his composure, suddenly standing up and pressing her against a wall. As he leaned in to kiss her, she ducked under his arms, running across the room, laughing like a child. She grabbed a light pink clutch and opened the door.

"Last one outs a rotten egg!" She called through her laughter, already running as best she could to the nearest elevator. Damon shook his head in disbelief, and found that her laughter was contagious. He patted his pocket for their room key, and when he knew it was there he chased down the hall after her, getting filthy looks from the other guests. He barely noticed that there were other people as he picked Elena up from behind, carrying her into the elevator. They walked around a small town for about an hour before they decided they should eat. It was nearly 11 at night, but they found a small cafe still open. Damon had a black coffee as he always did, and Elena had a latte of some sort. They ate pastries that night for dinner, and spent most of the night laughing.

They finally returned to their room at about 2am, after having a few drinks in the hotel bar. Elena was still a giddy drunk, and Damon was still simply Damon. He whispered sweet nothings in her ear the entire elevator ride, and had his hands wrapped around her small waist under her dress as they walked down the long hallway. She reached around in his pockets for the key before finally opening the door. In the same moment as they closed it, Elena found the backs of her knees pressed to the bed, and then she fell backwards, Damon on top of her kissing her hard. She had never been kissed like this, she couldn't think of anything else. All she felt was the passion he was giving her. "Damon!" she tried to say, but his lips wouldn't allow it. He pulled her up to unzip her dress, his lips never leaving hers. She pulled away for a minute to pull her dress over her head, and the moment it hit the ground, she was crawling backwards on the bed. She furiously unbuttoned his shirt, but it was becoming too frustrating so she ripped it off, throwing it to the side. She flipped him over, and she was now looking down into his eyes. "Damon I love you, I love you." she breathed as his lips travelled down her neck. She felt his teeth sink into her, and a moan escaped her lips.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," he began apologizing. Elena shook her head, pushing his head back to her neck. As he drank, she twirled his hair around in her fingers. His lips made their way back to hers, and she felt his hands at her hips now, she hadn't even noticed that she was only wearing a bra.

They woke up hours later, the sunlight blocked by light curtains. Elena was draped over Damon's chest, and his fingers were tangled in her hair. She looked up at him, and his eyes fluttered open. "Its official." he murmured.

"What is?" Elena asked, still speaking in a hushed tone.

"We're married." he smiled. Elena leaned up, planting a small kiss on his cheek before pulling his arm off of her and walking across the room. "Where are you going?" he asked.

Elena held up her phone, "Checking on the boys." she distantly said, focused on the phone.

"The boys? Elena Salvatore, are you cheating on me?" he asked. He began to laugh after, saying "That will never get old.." to himself.

"Ric and Jer, asshole." she said roughly.

"Calm down, you know I'm kidding." he said.

Elena dropped the phone before slamming her head backwards on the wall, sliding down and sobbing on the floor. Damon rushed over, "Lena?, Lena what's wrong?!" he worriedly screamed, shaking her. She wasn't answering so he took the phone himself. He read the message, and said nothing. He put the phone on the table, and wrapped his arms around her shaking body, speechless.****

Damn! So we got a little smutty, sorry if it sucked! Anyway, I think I found a new route to take, so maybe the story can go on just a little longer after all (: Hope you dont mind the cliffhangers! (i feel so evil!)  
Thanks for reading, following, favoriting, and reviewing! Be sure to leave any suggestions for the future in that box down there!  
XOXO,  
Kay


	25. Chapter 25

Elena sobbed for hours, and Damon sat there holding her. Neither one of them had said a word since they found out, Damon was stunned, he still didn't know what to say to comfort her. Elena finally collected herself, and managed to whisper, "We have to go home."

Damon nodded, quickly standing up and packing the room. Elena sat where she was for a minute before getting up. She slipped on her sweats before going to the bathroom to wash her face and brush her teeth. The minute he heard the bathroom door close, Damon broke. He knew he only had a few minutes, so he tried to stay calm. He threw the hotel's phone across the room when Elena came running out of the bathroom. "Damon!" she screamed.

He turned around, in tears. She ran to him, and they held each other for an eternity before Damon could mumble "He's not dead." This brought tears back to Elena's eyes, and now the two of them were crying. Alaric Saltzman was dead. He had driven off Wickery Bridge, just like Elena's parents and Matt Donovan had. Ric unfortunately didn't make it, and his ring couldn't save him because it was a completely human death. His car had spun on ice, and soared over the railing.

Within hours Damon had arranged for them to be on a plane back home. Elena turned to Damon as they waited to board their flight, and quietly said "I'm sorry our honeymoon is ruined." Damon said nothing, and just wrapped his arms around her, and kissed the top of her head.

They sat in stunned silence for their entire flight, neither one of them could even think of sleeping. After the 8 hour flight Damon found his car, and they drove straight to the Gilbert house. Elena ran inside, finding Jeremy and holding him. Damon stood in the doorway, watching the two when he realized that Jeremy was now all Elena had. He hung his head, partially in disgust. The world was a sick place, and Elena didn't deserve to be such a victim. Elena and Jeremy slowly began planning a funeral, Damon even offered to speak at the service. At the end of the night Anna came over, and Damon drove Elena back home so they could be alone. She went straight upstairs, while Damon sat in the living room with a glass of bourbon. "To Ric." he called into the empty house. He drank the glass slowly, before throwing it into the fireplace. His sadness had turned to rage, it was bullshit. Ric was Damon's only friend, he had no one. Then he thought of Elena and Jeremy. He knew he had to stay strong for his wife, so he sat down on the couch, collecting his came down ten minutes later, in one of Damon's tee shirts and a pair of her own sweatpants. Her face was red and tear stained as she made her way over to sit on Damon's lap.

"It isn't fair." she whispered. Damon nodded, and rubbed her back until she fell asleep. He drifted off soon after her, and held her all night.  
Elena woke up alone on the couch, and at first she was startled. "Damon?" she called into the seemingly empty house.

"In the kitchen babe!" he shouted back. She walked in the room, and was shocked to see Stefan and Rebekah sitting at their table while Damon was cooking something. "I made you pancakes." he distractedly said, he was focused on his work. Stefan and Rebekah stood up the minute she walked in the room.

"Elena-" Stefan started, walking over to hug her.

"No. Don't. Don't apologize. I can't listen to it." she said, cutting him off and backing away from him. "I'm not hungry Damon."

Stefan and Rebekah awkwardly sat back down, silently. Damon suppressed a sigh, this was going to be a long day. "Alright, well theres coffee on the counter if you want any." he said.

"I'm fine, I can take care of myself. I don't need anyone, I'm fine on my own." she snapped before storming out of the room. They all listened as she stomped up the stairs, slamming the bedroom door behind her. Stefan pointed to the stairs, then to himself, and his brother, silently asking who should go up. Damon thought for a minute before pointing back at his brother. Stefan nodded, making his way up the stairs. He creaked the door open to find a sobbing Elena on the bed. "Go away." she choked out. Stefan ignored her request, and sat next to her. He wrapped his arms around her and allowed her to cry for a while. She finally choked out "I have no one."

Stefan rubbed her back, "You have Damon, and Jeremy, and me, and Bekah, and Bonnie, Caroline, Matt" he began naming her friends.

Elena shook her head. "What happens if Damon leaves? Whos gonna take care of me?" she asked through more tears.

Stefan sighed, although he was over her he was still only did it sting to see her in love with his brother, but he hated seeing her cry. "Lena, I promise you he will never leave unless you ask him to. I've known him for a long time, and I have never seen him so in love with someone."

Damon sighed, he could hear the muffled conversation. He began throwing the things in front of him before he ran up the stairs. Rebekah sat still, in shock. She wondered if she should leave, but she just sat in the kitchen. Damon nearly tore the door off it's hinges. "Dammit Elena! I fucking love you! Im not leaving you! When will you get that through your head?!" he roared  
from the doorway.

Elena sobbed harder, "Ric said he wouldn't leave. Jenna said she wouldn't either. So did my mom, and my dad-" she broke off in more tears.

Stefan stood up, this was his cue to leave. He silently walked out, leaving them alone. He motioned to Rebekah that it was time to go. She nodded and they left, driving back to their own house.

"Oh Lena," Damon whispered as he wrapped his arms around her. "I promise, I will not be dying anytime soon."

**THE FEELS! I got upset writing this, I had to do it in two sittings because I just had so many emotions. Thanks for reading, following and favoriting. Be sure to review!**


	26. Chapter 26:Forever and Always

It was the morning of the funeral service, and after the casket was ushered in, Elena went to the podium first. "We're here today to celebrate the life of Alaric Saltzman. Most of us know him as the history teacher, but Jeremy and I know him as a guardian." she started. She looked at Damon for support, who nodded. "He was a great man, who took us under his wing after we had lost everyone else, and we'll always be grateful for that." she went on. The service dragged on for an hour before the church followed the hearse to Mystic Falls Cemetery. He was buried next to Jenna, and before the casket was lowered into the ground, everyone placed a rose on top of it. Elena whispered a silent sentence to the black casket, kissing her hand and placing it on the casket before walking away. Damon said a silent goodbye to his friend before following her. Jeremy was the last to leave, and Anna left with him.

Elena walked in the door and immediately went upstairs. Damon loosened his tie, walking into the living room to sit down. Elena came down the stairs with her hair in a high ponytail, neon pink sweatpants and an oversized sweatshirt. She walked silently into the basement, and came back up with a bottle of wine and 4 blood bags. She tossed two bags to Damon who was sitting across the room, before pouring her own bags into the bottle. She didn't even bother to get a glass, she just silently drank. "Are you gonna be okay?" Damon finally asked, breaking the silence.

Elena began to laugh, "I don't know. I think so, but right now its just so surreal. I mean, I didn't get to say goodbye. And that really sucks. He was one of the closest things I had to family. I don't know. Are you alright?" she said before taking another swig.

Damon finished his first blood bag before speaking."Dont worry about me, I'll be fine. We'll get through it." he responded, sliding over. He motioned for her to come over and she did. She sat next to him, and he wrapped his arms around her, bringing her closer to him. He kissed her forehead before resting his chin on her head.

"I love you." she said.

"I love you too Lena." he whispered back. "And I always will." he added.

She shook her head. "Please don't say always."

"Why not?" he asked, now peeling his arms off of her, allowing her to turn around and face him. "Elena, I will love you forever." he seriously said.

"Because forever isn't always a long time Damon!" she nearly screamed. She finished her wine before throwing the bottle into the fireplace. She grabbed her car keys and stormed out of the house. Damon sat on the couch, in shock. Was she was seriously mad at him for loving her? He heard her car peel out of the driveway, and he debated following her but decided to let her go, she would come back.

A few hours had passed and the sun began to set. The air welcomed a new chill that the day had never known, and Elena still hadnt returned. Damon sighed before taking his own keys and walking out the door. He drove first over Wickery Bridge, thinking he would find her there, but it was empty. He tried the cemetery, but she wasn't there. This is when he was officially nervous, so he called her phone. It went right to voicemail, which meant it was off. He went to Stefan's new place, Bonnie's, Caroline's, then Matt's before realizing where she was. He drove slowly down Maple Street, and sure enough her car was in the driveway. Jeremy had moved in with Anna after Alaric died, and Elena was alone in the house. Damon put the car in reverse, and made his way back to town. He went to the small deli and bought a few bags of chips, a package of cookies, 2 pints of ice cream, and beer. He noticed she had been drinking a lot lately, which was out of character for her. He drove back to the house, and was surprised to find the door unlocked. He heard muffled crying from upstairs, and he assumed she was in her old bedroom. He went into the kitchen to put everything down, and walked quietly to her room, only to find it empty. She was laying on her parent's bed, sobbing. Damon wordlessly walked over, holding her and whispering "It's okay, it's okay." Into her hair. They sat like that for an hour before she finally stood up.

"I'm done crying. All I ever do is cry. But not anymore. I'm done." She announced, wiping the final tears from her face.

"Thank God, because I swear a piece of me dies with every tear." Damon said dramatically, although he was completely serious. "Anyway, I bought you some munchies in the kitchen, I figured we should say goodbye to the house a little bit." He added.

Elena nodded, walking out of the bedroom and into her own. She sat on the bed and began to laugh.

"What's so funny?" Damon asked, slightly relieved to see her smile.

"So much has happened in here. That's where you told me you loved me." She said, pointing across the room. "And this is where me and Stef almost had our first time." She said, patting the bed.

Damon rolled his eyes, before saying "You know, we have never done it in this house. It was always my house. Or the car. Or that one time in the woods.." he trailed off, deep in thought.

"Honestly Damon, can we just pig out tonight and say goodbye? This is my childhood, and I feel like I would be betraying Little Elena if we did it here, tonight." She asked.

He walked over, kissing her softly. "Of course my love, but just know. Little Damon is very upset." He said in less than a whisper. Elena collapsed on the bed in laughter, before throwing a teddy bear at him. They spent the rest of the night packing the remains of the house, while picking at the junk food Damon had bought. They left at 3am, each of their trunk's filled with cardboard boxes containing Elena's past. They climbed into bed, physically and mentally exhausted.

"I love you, forever and always." Elena whispered as they dozed off. Damon smiled, wra[ing his arms around her and pulling her towards him.

"Forever and always." He responded.

**Okay, sorry it took so long, but this one was kinda hard for me to write. I wish I could have described the funeral more, but I couldnt bring myself to do it, too many feelings about death in my own family. Anyway, rate and review, thanks for following/favoriting.**


	27. Chapter 27

Elena woke up to find that the small clock across the room read 11:48 am, which meant that they had slept in late for once. Elena turned around to face Damon, who was still asleep. She leaned towards him to wake him with a kiss, but he quickly opened his eyes, kissing her first. "Always one step ahead of you Lena," Damon commented as she laughed. They laid there for about an hour, chatting about everything, from stories of the past to ideas for the future.

"So what should we do today?" Elena asked, finally sitting up.

Damon groaned, "Cant we just stay in bed all day?" as he inched closer towards her, wrapping his arms around her waist. She smiled, and thought for a minute. "Oh come on, just give in already." He begged.

Elena jumped out of the bed, "We are not staying in bed all day Damon. Now, I am going to shower and then we are going to go out and do something fun today." She said as she walked into the bathroom. Damon sat up, ready to follow her. "Alone!" she added, closing the door behind her.

Damon jokingly screamed, "Boo you whore!" at the closed door.

Elena poked her head out of the bathroom, "Oh my God. Did Damon Salvatore just quote Mean Girls?"She asked smiling like a child on Christmas morning.

"I have never seen that movie." He said, clearly lying. Elena burst into laughter. "Now go shower so we can enjoy the day!" he said.

Elena emerged from the bathroom 10 minutes later, with a white towel wrapped around her. Her hair fell onto her shoulders, sticking together in wet clumps. Small droplets of water remained on her shoulders, cascading down her arms. "Damn." Damon breathed from the bed.

Elena rolled her eyes, "You're still in bed?" she asked.

"Clearly. And I'm glad I stayed." He responded, looking her up and down. Her olive legs seemed to go on for miles in the short towel.

"There are about 3 other showers in this house, you couldn't have used one of them?" she asked, sounding annoyed.

"But I like my shower. And seeing my wife looking like this." He whined, gesturing towards her.

She slowly walked over, sitting next to him. She leaned down and slowly kissed him. He pulled her on top of him, and began to remove the towel. Elena had planned to kiss him then tell him to shower, she should have known better. She couldn't refuse him. "Damon, you need to shower." She managed to breathe as his mouth travelled down her neck.

"Alright." He said, picking her up and taking her with him. The bathroom was still steamy from Elena's shower, and he walked to the sink, placing Elena on the countertop. He turned on the shower, and returned in a minute. His lips met hers again, and he picked her back up. She wrapped her legs around his waist, and her arms around his neck. He effortlessly carried her to the shower where he pressed her against the wall. His lips had never left hers, until she pulled away from him. She grabbed his shampoo, and gently massaged his scalp. "Dammit." He muttered. She then took a bar of soap, gliding it over the smooth plane of his chest. He took it out of her hands, throwing it on the floor. She looked up wounded, before she realized he just wanted her.

They walked out of the bathroom hand in hand an hour later. Damon laughed, "That was fun."

"It was." Elena replied, blushing. She walked into their closet, tossing him a pair of jeans and a button down. She jumped into a pair of skinny jeans, and put on a light gray lace camisole. She walked to his shirts, and chose a black button down and put it on. She neatly folded the sleeves, and tied the shirt just above her waist. She put on a pair of combat boots before walking out of the closet. She walked back into the bathroom to blow-dry her hair, and sat down to do her makeup. She started with foundation, and then began her eyes. She winged her eyeliner, and created a smoky eye. She sprayed a light perfume on before walking out into the bedroom to find Damon flipping through channels.

"You take forever." Damon said before looking at her. He turned his head and said, "I take that back, totally worth it." and allowed his signature smirk to creep onto his face.

Elena sat down next to him, "What are we gonna do today?" she asked.

"I was thinking, we could call Stef and Becks and see if they wanted to do something?" he responded.

"Aww! You miss your baby brother!" she cooed, and he rolled his eyes. "That sounds nice though, I'll call Rebekah."


	28. Chapter 275

I am working on the final chapter right now, but fear not! I have a new story called 'Petrova Sisters' so please go read that while you wait for chapter 28!  
Thank you for reading/following/favoriting! Please spread the word about my new story!


	29. Chapter 28

**Well my followers, this is the final chapter, and I have crazy writers block, so it's a short one. I want to thank you all for reading, and for leaving reviews. I'm sad to see this end, but I have another story called 'Petrova Sisters' so please start reading that one!**

"Well that was fun." Damon said to a drunken Elena as they walked into the house.

"Oh my God! That was so fun Damon! Stefan should propose to Rebekah like every night!" she nearly screamed, and stumbled.

Damon laughed, catching her. "Easy there, I never learn….no more vodka for my Lena." He said.

"But Lena loves vodka!" she said with puppy eyes.

"And I love Lena." He said kissing her. He carried her up to bed, and tucked her in. She quickly fell asleep, and he just watched her for a few minutes. She looked so beautiful and peaceful. He slowly dozed off next to her.

"Good morning," she whispered "Do we have any Tylenol?"

She felt his chest shake in silent laughter before he said, "Yes we do babe. Want me to make you a bloody coffee with that Tylenol?"

"Ugh, that never stops sounding weird. But yes please. God, you're the best husband ever."

"I know right?" Damon sarcastically said before walking out of the room. Elena laid there and thought about how happy she was. When he returned she was crying. "Hey babe, that bad? You drank a lot, but not that much…aww come here." He said, placing the glass and pills on the night stand and climbing back into the bed.

"No, no I'm just really happy." She said, smiling through her tears.

"Yeah, I'm happy for Stef, married life will do him good." He said, kissing her forehead.

"I'm happy for us too, think about it. We have forever Damon."

"I used to dread forever, but now? I couldn't be more anxious."

"This is going to be great. Waking up to this every morning." She said leaning his head against his chest.

"And falling asleep like this every night" he said, hugging her closer.

"I love you so much Damon." She said, intertwining her fingers with his.

"I love you too Lena. Now drink up, so we can have some fun today. Hungover Elena is almost worse than cranky Damon." He said, handing her a mug.

She smirked, drinking the glass. "So I've been thinking, and I want to go back to school."

"Really? Good for you! I'm gonna miss you during the day though."

"Well, I'm going to take online classes. I don't want to be in that school, its too much, everything that's happened there, plus Ric."

"Oh, sure, I get that. Maybe we can go to college together." He said, with a smile.

"Really?! You would go to college with me!?" she nearly screamed in excitement, now sitting up.

"I would do anything for you! As long as you promise to join a sorority"

Elena laughed, "We have to go to a school with marriage dorms, I cant imagine sleeping alone after the past few months."

"God, I love that."

"Love what?" Elena asked.

"Finally hearing you laugh again. Are you sure you're alright Lena? You've been through a lot in the last month."

"I'm fine Damon. I'm laying in bed with the man of my dreams who just so happens to be my husband talking about our future. Nothing could be better."

"Man of your dreams, huh?"

Elena rolled her eyes, "Of course."

"So that one time I snuck into your house and you were drooling, you were dreaming about me?"

Elena hit him with a pillow, "I don't remember! Probably not!" she laughed, "You're such an ass!"

"And you have a nice one!" he said before his lips crashed onto hers.

And there they were, together with no obstacles, at the beginning of their eternity together.


End file.
